How to Heal Happily Ever After
by LexiconMc
Summary: How is Wendell to bring about a new Golden Age? How do they bring back Happily Ever After? It turns out that a little magic and a lot of politics is needed, while romance is decidedly not. That's not to say that it won't come along for the ride.
1. Chapter 1

_I don't own anything 10__th__ Kingdom. This is all for fun, so please don't sue._

Wendell was relieved when it was time for the council to break for lunch. All morning long there had been nothing but bickering. His council members fought like children, each one dismissing the others' ideas. The real problem was that they weren't able to decide what the real problems were. The 9 Kingdoms were no longer glorious and they didn't know why.

"I'll have my lunch in the East Study today Thomas," he told his manservant.

"As you wish Sire," he said.

Wendell had been expecting some sort of objection. It was proper for the monarch to dine publicly. But Thomas was an old time servant. He asked no questions.

He was able to eat his lunch in peace. Well in silence at least. The problems of his kingdom still troubled his mind. What could be done? He put his fork down and picked up a quill. After a moment of reflection, he wrote down the three major problems facing the 4th kingdom.

_1. Overly Restrictive Laws_

_2. Lack of Security_

_3. Withering Diplomatic Relationships_

"Well," he thought as he looked over his list, "only three big ones. That's not so bad,".

But the more he looked at them, the bigger those problems seemed. He sighed and pushed his half empty plate away. Suddenly he wasn't so hungry. Before he knew it Thomas was at the door.

"Sire, the Council is ready to reconvene whenever you are ready," he said in his perfectly proper voice.

"Yes of course. You may tell them that I will be in directly," he said.

Thomas left. Wendell stood to leave and realized that he had been slouched over the desk. He must not do that again. Kings did not slouch. He straightened himself up and walked in his kingliest manner into the Council room. He was determined that before this meeting was over, they would come up with some sort of plan. Even if that meant staying there all night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Rose sat in the garden doing nothing. She was just staring at the vegetables around her. She watched as bugs, some good some bad, went about their business. Somewhere in the back of her mind a voice told her to get back to work. She ignored it. **

"**Those weeds won't pull themselves you know! Get back to work," a gnarled voice said from behind her. **

**It was Mistress Yaga. Rose had been so engrossed in the tiny world she was observing, she hadn't heard the old woman come up behind her. **

"**Sorry Mistress Yaga," she said quietly. To show how sorry she was, Rose plunged her spade vigorously into the dirt, uprooting some nettles. Mistress Yaga grumbled to herself, no doubt about young work ethic, and lumbered away. **

**She wasn't a fat woman, but Mistress Yaga was big. She was tall and built thickly. Her hair, which must have once been beautiful, was now white as snow and was always in a bun with wisps flying everywhere. Her face was well weathered, which Rose always found strange. Mistress Yaga could easily have made a potion or poultice or something for that. But her eyes were still clear and strong. They were such a warm brown that they might have been amber. Anyone who tried to stare down Mistress Yaga was in for a shock.**

**Rose sighed as she pulled up a thistle and put it in her weed basket. The nettles went in a satchel on her hip that was made just for them. Most weeds, most plants really, had a use. Mistress Yaga knew all of them. Weeds were not meant to be thrown away.**

**Sometimes, times like this, Rose wondered how she came to live with Mistress Yaga. They weren't related. But Rose didn't have anyone else. She liked her life, but she wanted to know about her parents. What happened to them? She could still remember their voices, and sometimes their faces. How was it that Mistress Yaga chose Rose to be her student? But whenever Rose asked Mistress Yaga about it, she would change the topic or find a way to tiptoe around it. **

"**Ah well. It does no good to dwell on it," she said to herself, "I'm lucky to have Mistress Yaga. I don't want her to think I'm ungrateful for her help. After all what usually happens to orphans?" She shuddered as she recalled the stories she'd heard.**

**Of course it never occurred to her that her parents may not have wanted her to be the old woman's student. But now what could they do?**


	3. Chapter 3

"Now, I have determined what the major problems facing our kingdom are. All other problems stem from these roots I believe," Wendell said addressing the Council.

He ran over the short list and waited for objections.

"Majesty, concerning the laws," a young Councilman said anxiously, "are you suggesting that we revise every law in the kingdom?"

"If it is necessary then yes. I have learned that many of our laws are needless and only create criminals. If we have to we will go through every law of every city of every county in the entire kingdom. Revisions must be made," he said sternly.

The young Councilman, Owen, paled. Obviously this was too much work for him. But the old days were over. He was going to be an active monarch and his council was going to be just as active.

"Your Highness, may I suggest forming a committee of lawyers to go through these laws. You may make a template of a law that you feel is unreasonable that they will follow. They can then come to you and present their findings," said an older Councilman with blonde hair that was going white.

"Excellent idea Lionel!" Wendell exclaimed. This was what he was going for. They were thinking. He really felt that they would get somewhere today.

"Best to put a few lawyers from each county on this committee, might need subcommittees for each county even," added another Councilman. They all nodded in agreement.

"Very good. Clerk take that down, we will begin appointing the committee next week. Send word to the law schools, they will know the best lawyers in the cities," Wendell ordered. The clerk began to write furiously.

"Next, it was entirely too easy for the trolls to attack Bean town," Wendell said somberly.

"It is clear that we must strengthen our numbers along the Troll Border. It should be easy enough to move soldiers around," he said hopefully.

"Sire there has been an increase in reports of bandits and highwaymen," Owen said sadly.

Wendell had not known this. It would be tricky to cover the whole border when soldiers were needed for the roads. A small argument broke out following Owen's statement. They lost soldiers to the Trolls and they needed to train more, how could they do this while reinforcing the border and guarding every road? How were they to build barracks along every road? How were they to afford that? The Chief Finance Councilor, Edmund, spoke up.

"Your Grace it may be cheaper to create an entirely new force to guard the roads. A highway patrol. This leaves the soldiers free to the army, and the local police to their cities. The patrol would have local branches in each city, and so there would be no need to build no new barracks. Perhaps small checkpoints, but the men would be from local villages," he said.

"Do you know how much paperwork that would entail? That would require an entirely new management system," Owen sputtered.

"Isn't that what we are here for Owen?" Edmund asked in a condescending tone. Owen had the decency to blush, but just a little.

"It's a fantastic idea. It will create jobs for many of the men who will be released from prison. And with safer roads, the mail will be faster and the paperwork will be quicker," Wendell smiled. Yes this was going really well. He could already see himself being hailed as a great king, and feeling like he deserved the praise.

"Now as to the last one, while we are not on bad terms with anybody we can never have too many friends. I'm planning on some state balls and dinners," he said. Owen perked up. He loved to plan parties. It was really his only talent. Besides Owen though, everyone else seemed to hang their heads a little.

"What's going on? Why do you all look as if I just asked you kiss frogs? They're just balls, really you can get through them," Wendell asked.

Again it was Lionel who spoke up.

"Its not that Majesty," his tone turned very diplomatic, "well… since your pardon of the wolves the 2nd Kingdom has been very distant. Our sources tell us that Queen Riding Hood is extremely angry and certainly has no intention of following your benevolent example," he finished.

Wendell paled.

"_Of course! Why didn't I see it? Of course Queen Riding Hood would be offended. A wolf tried to eat her great grandmother and her grandmother! And we border the 2__nd__ Kingdom. What a mess,"_ he thought.

"Any ideas on how to regain the Queen's friendship?" he asked. He had no idea.

"Well," Owen said in a voice that suggested he was telling a secret, "a marriage would be a very good way to bond the two kingdoms,".

"A marriage?" Wendell blinked, "A marriage to whom? Queen Riding Hood is already married as is her younger sister,".

"_Not to mention how much older they are than me,"_ he thought.

"To the queen's niece. Her sister's daughter, the Duchess Olga," Lionel replied. That was when Wendell realized that they had all been in on it. This was, in their minds, a forgone conclusion. Maybe it was a good idea.

Wendell tried to search his memory for an Olga. He went through every lady he'd ever met. Nothing. _The Queen's niece… surely I must have seen her at least once. When was the last time I was in the 2__nd__ Kingdom? Oh yes it was for some formal affair when I was 7. What was that? Oh yes a Christening…oh no._

"Olga?! She's 11, a child! How can I be expected to marry a child, how can she be expected to marry me? That is barbaric!" he roared at the Council.

"Your Grace," said Lionel still in his diplomat voice, "You would only be betrothed to her. Then when the girl comes of age you would marry,".

Wendell was stunned. How could he even consider a child as a future wife? The very thought was disgusting. An arranged marriage was fine, but it must arranged between two adults, or at least two people of the same age.

"That will be all for today gentlemen," Wendell said abruptly. That was all he could take for today.


	4. Chapter 4

"Rose! Bring me two bunches of nettle, one of lilac, and a half a cup of chicken fat!" Mistress Yaga yelled.

She scurried to the pantry to find the ingredients. In her head she went over the ingredients. No this wouldn't be a poison. She sighed in relief. She hated dealing with the criminal sort who wanted poisons. The nice ones would sneer at her and the ones who were too nice would grab at her. When she was younger, Mistress Yaga would tell her that they only sold poisons to those that really needed it, like women with cruel husbands or heroes slaying giants. Rose was 18 now and it had been clear to her for quite some time that this was not the case. No, today it was a big poultice for ant bites, really bad ant bites. A little boy from town fell into a fire ant hill and was covered in bites and dangerously swollen. This poultice would save his life. It was times like this that made Rose proud to be studying under Mistress Yaga.

It took Mistress Yaga 30 minutes to make her concoction. It was a tense 30 minutes. There were no sounds besides the ones made by Mistress Yaga's tools. Finally it was done.

"Here. Rub this all over the child, careful not to get it in his eyes or mouth. Do this twice a day until it runs out, about 3 days. Do not bathe him at all, and he must stay in bed. Then on the fourth day, bathe him in cold water," she ordered.

The grateful mother was sobbing as she offered Mistress Yaga thanks and blessings.

"Yes, yes," Mistress Yaga said shortly, "My Wendell please,".

The woman nodded her head and produced the coin. As soon as Mistress Yaga was pleased that it was a real coin, the woman ran home.

"This is good," Mistress Yaga said as she put the coin away, "Tomorrow we will go to the capitol,".

Rose couldn't believe her ears.

" 'We' Mistress?" she stuttered. Many times had the older woman gone to the capitol. She had friends, connections, in the city that needed to be looked to. It was a good place for rare trade and ingredients. But mostly she went there to establish herself with the wealthy businessmen and minor nobles that inhabited the place. Slowly over the years she had built a name for herself there. But throughout the years and her many visits, she had never taken Rose.

"Yes 'we'. So go to bed early. We leave at dusk," she said in her no-nonsense tone. Which wasn't so different from her usual tone.

Rose was almost too excited to sleep that night. It only took a day to get to the capitol. Tomorrow evening she would see the palace for the first time. The thought of the palace made her sigh. She pictured lords and ladies dancing at grand balls. The silk of the ladies' gowns swishing in time with the music. She heard their laughter as a handsome nobleman told them a stupid joke. (From her observations amongst the townspeople, laughing at a boy's joke, even when not funny, was a very effective flirting method.) Then Prince… no King, he had been King for almost a month now, Wendell would come forward and choose the most beautiful lady to dance with. Secretly Rose would put herself in that lady's dress. She would feel the warmth from the King's hand as he closed his fingers around her delicate gloved hand.

Then she would shake her head and feel beyond stupid. She was not the type to dream silly girl dreams. She did not want to be some useless lady. Here she was, helping save lives (sometimes), and it made her happy. No, this Wendell fantasy was just silly.

"Besides," she thought a little glumly, "kings don't marry peasants,". With that final bitter thought, she fell asleep.

The next morning right after dawn, the two were heading down the road. Mistress Yaga took charge of the horses and so Rose was left with nothing to do. So she studied the landscape and tried not to get caught up in her daydreams. Somehow Mistress Yaga always knew when she was daydreaming, maybe it was a look on her face.

"Mistress, are people in the city rude? Or violent?" she asked.

"Wendell doesn't allow any other cities to have rude or violent, or even unpleasant citizens, why should he allow it in his own city?" Mistress Yaga snorted. She felt that many of the laws of the 4th kingdom were too strict. They fell into silence again. Only for a short time though.

"Mistress, why are we going into the capitol?" Rose asked.

"Would you rather stay home?" Mistress Yaga asked in a way that showed that was all the explaining she would do. And so for the last leg of the journey they were once again silent.

The further down the road they got, the busier it got. There were carriages, riders, wagons, and even pedestrians all going to and from the city in surprising numbers. Finally they were close enough to the city to see the palace, tall and bright above the other buildings.

Rose gasped, "It's lovely,".

They were stalled at the gate to wait for traffic to slow. It was too crowded for them to pass through yet.

"Thank goodness I already have a room for us," Mistress Yaga grumbled.

"Is there a festival? I've never seen so many people?" Rose asked, directing her question to Mistress Yaga. It was a guard at the gate who gave her the answer though.

"Oh some lords and ladies from the 2nd kingdom are expected day after tomorrow. There's going to be a big celebration and show, a sort of citywide reception," he said while flashing a grin at Rose.

She blushed and looked down at her feet. Mistress Yaga clucked her tongue at Rose and urged the horses on.

"Do not flirt girl," she warned, "It only leads to trouble,".

Rose decided not to say anything. She decided not to tell Mistress Yaga that she had only asked a question, and that was not flirting. She learned over the years that it was much easier to give up on the subject. Mistress Yaga was very protective about things like that. And after seeing so many young girls come to Mistress Yaga for potions to cure something, whether it was a baby or a sickness, a boy had given them Rose was glad.


	5. Chapter 5

The main hall was dripping with red. Red roses, red tablecloths and red ribbons. And whatever wasn't red was white. It was being decorated for the arrival of the prince and princess of the 2nd kingdom and their daughter the duchess. Wendell was a little disturbed by the color scheme.

"Samuel!" he called. The head decorator raised his head from the flowers and scurried over to the king.

"Yes Majesty?" he asked a little nervously. He often got a little temperamental when working and he definitely did not want to yell at the king. That would not be good for his career.

"Why don't you add more color to this hall. Something besides red and white?" Wendell suggested.

The decorator looked confused.

"Sire, the Council specifically told me to use these colors. I originally wanted to go with more jewel tones, but…"

Wendell didn't hear the rest. The Council. He should have known. Well then the symbolism wasn't him being paranoid. The Council was doing everything it possibly could to push this union on him. He wondered what his guests would think. He didn't even know if they were thinking in the same vein as the Council.

Wendell didn't get mad. He simply sighed. Although he was disgusted by the thought, it was a common practice among nobles to become betrothed to a person much younger. He could see the council's point. Again a sigh.

On his way to the Council Room, he was met by a Council Member. It was Owen. He looked like he was about to die. His skin was a pale green color, his eyes were blurry and his hair was a mess (all very unlike the always groomed Owen).

"Oh Your Grace! Terrible news!" he wailed. His entire appearance suggested that this was not a shortage of red roses.

"Calm down Owen. What news is so dire?" Wendell asked, trying to be comforting.

"It's the Duchess. She's taken a fall and is gravely injured. They can not wake her!" he explained.

"This is terrible news indeed," Wendell whispered. He was in shock. Never mind that a child being injured is tragic but this could be politically disastrous. Though Wendell felt guilty for thinking this, it was the truth. If the child died in his kingdom… well best to say that relations with the 2nd Kingdom would not get better.

"Where was she injured?" he asked.

"Just before the border. They were stopped for lunch and it seems the child got away from her nurse. It took them an hour to find her, and that was only when she fell out of one of the big oaks. They are on their way here now. When last I heard they were half an hour away," Owen answered. He said it all in almost one breath. He was panting as he finished.

"Well," Wendell thought, "at least she got hurt on her own land,". Again a harsh thought. Apparently being king was making him more practical than kind.

"Right," he said rubbing his hands together, "You," he said pointing to the nearest footman, "Make sure the Duchess' rooms are prepared. She needs to be as comfortable as possible. Also summon Dr. Whitman. I want him here immediately,".

The footman bowed and then ran off to do as he was told.

"Thomas," Wendell yelled. As always the servant was near.

"Your Grace?" his stoic voice asked.

"Tell the staff that I want them on their best behavior. I don't want to see one mistake. The Duchess and her family should be the most comfortable people in this palace. I want their comfort to come first, before mine even," he said. This was unnecessary. No matter what the situation, his staff was always the best. He was just nervous. Thomas bowed and silently walked away. Now all Wendell could do was pace in his study.

Finally the Duchess arrived. By that time the doctor had been at the palace for about twenty minutes. The little Duchess was taken immediately to her rooms. She did look awful. Her petit heart shaped face was so pale that she was almost translucent. Save for the blood coming from her numerous cuts, she was white. Her bouncy chestnut ringlets were striking against her face. She looked like a porcelain doll, a beat up, ghostly doll.

Wendell stayed out of the sickroom. After entirely too long, Dr. Whitman emerged. His hair was sticking up. Wendell knew this was because he had been running his hand through it. It was a nervous habit. Wendell saw it many times as a child, first when he broke his arm, then when he had chickenpox, and every sickness since then. He went immediately to Wendell.

"Majesty I'm afraid I've done all I can. Her body was hurt. Her arm was broken, along with a sprained ankle. As you saw there were also many cuts to tend to. Luckily I don't think they will become infected. But I don't know why the child will not wake up," he said in an exasperated and confused tone.

"There were no head injuries?" Wendell asked. He knew that the doctor would have noticed any, but he may as well ask.

"No My Lord," Dr. Whitman replied in a slightly affronted tone, "despite the numerous cuts on her face, there are absolutely no bumps or indentations on her head. There is nothing that should induce her reaction,".

"I know this is strange of a doctor to say, but I think we need a second opinion," Dr. Whitman sighed, "He may find something that I missed,".

"Yes you're right," Wendell said, "we will just have to find the best doctors in the kingdom. But it will take time to get them here,".

Suddenly there was a quiet cough. Then Thomas stepped forward.

"Majesty if I may suggest something?" he asked.

Wendell and Dr. Whitman both had their eyebrows raised almost to their hair. This forward behavior was most unlike Thomas.

"Yes, what is it you have to suggest?" Wendell asked.

"Majesty, how much do you know about empath healing?" the dignified servant asked.


	6. Chapter 6

Rose awoke at dawn, just as she did every morning. She was particularly excited about this dawn though. This dawn Rose was going to the market. The Capitol Market! She was thrilled. Mistress Yaga trusted her enough to go to the biggest market in the kingdom, alone. She took her list and practically ran to Market Street.

When she finally arrived she was overwhelmed. Of course she knew the Capitol Market would be big. But never had she thought it could be this big. Mistress Yaga's entire property could fit in it, twice! She could spend days just finding the herbs. Especially since she kept getting distracted. There were foods, furniture, fashions and fabrics that she had never seen before. Looking at the gorgeous fabrics, so rich in texture and vibrant in color, brought on more fantasies. Once more she was an elegant lady at court. Once more the king took her delicately gloved hand, this time to walk with her along the palace grounds. He would show her the beautiful flowers, the elegant mazes of topiaries, and the great shimmering lakes. Then they would find a spot underneath a weeping willow, by a stream maybe, and sit and talk.

This hazy daydream was brought to an abrupt end when Rose ran straight into a fishmonger.

"Watch it Sweet Tomato!," the fishmonger yelled. He looked at Rose with the same expression as the guard at the gate had.

"Wait a minute now, wait a minute, why don't you stay with me a while Tomato? We'll see how good you are at selling my fish," he said with a leer.

"Ugh," was all she could say. Luckily she was jostled away from him by the crowd. Rose got a chill. The way that man looked at her… it made her feel dirty. And a little proud, though she was ashamed to admit it.

Finally she found the herbs. Once she had the right section, it was easy enough to find what she wanted. They would need more than herbs, but that was all Mistress Yaga wanted today.

Rose arrived back at the inn just before noon. She was starving. She was so looking forward to having a nice hot lunch. And not having to cook it herself? Magical. Maybe she could just have a little rest before lunch. But when she walked into the room she shared with Mistress Yaga there was a strange man in front of the window. Mistress Yaga was talking to him.

"Rose," she said, "its good that you're back. We are needed,".

Rose looked from the man to Mistress Yaga. The man was dressed in, was that livery? Mistress Yaga had an eager look in her eyes.

"Whoever it is that needs help must be very rich," she thought. Mistress Yaga only got that look when she was looking at some very serious money.

"Yes Mistress Yaga," she said obediently, "I'll gather your tools at once,". As she crossed to the chest of drawers on the other side of the room she heard the man whisper.

"Is she the one?"

Rose's back was to the pair so she couldn't see Mistress Yaga's nod. But she felt it.

"Aren't you done yet girl?" Mistress Yaga snapped.

"Oh yes ma'am. All ready," Rose answered quickly.

"Good. Then lets go," the old woman commanded. This command seemed to apply to the man in livery too.

"Excuse me Mistress, but where are we going?" Rose asked. She knew that it was likely she wouldn't get an answer. But she hated not to know.

Mistress Yaga grunted. She answered without looking back at Rose.

"The palace,".


	7. Chapter 7

_Okay everybody, I know it took a long time but our lovely finally meets our prince. The romantic ball will be rolling in the next chapters. Thanks to those that reviewed._

Wendell was pacing again. He put ten years of distress on his study floor in only ten minutes. Thomas had explained Empath Healing. According to Thomas, an Empath Healer would be able to tune into how the patient felt. They would then use those feelings in conjunction with medicines to heal whatever sickness ailed the patient. Dr. Whitman seemed skeptical. Wendell would have been too, but he couldn't rule anything out. After all he had seen a lot of magic in his day. He had been turned into a dog, a gold dog, then back into a dog by a magic well, then finally back into himself. How could he deem anything impossible?

A knock at the door jostled him from his thoughts.

"Knock knock. Any kings in here?" came a familiar voice.

"Anthony?" Wendell asked shocked. Anthony had been traveling throughout the kingdom for some time. He was touring palace properties. Wendell wanted to give him a place of his own.

It was indeed Anthony. He swaggered into Wendell's study, like only Anthony would do. Wendell was absurdly happy to see him.

"Anthony! When did you get back? Did you find a property to your liking?" the young king asked as he embraced his friend.

Anthony put his hand up.

"Well I only just got back, and let me say the mood in this palace is… well it's a major bummer," he said in his joking tone, "Did someone die?"

"Not yet," Wendell said sadly. He knew that Anthony was joking but he was hitting pretty close to home.

"Sit down Anthony. This is a long story," Wendell sighed. As he told the story, his proposed betrothal, the visit, the fall, he saw Anthony's face become serious.

"They wanted you to marry an 11 year old girl?" he said clearly shocked.

"Anthony that's not the worst part," Wendell said sadly, "that 11 year old girl is a very powerful political figure and she could die in my kingdom,".

"Geez Wendell did you mean to sound like an unfeeling jerk when you said that? Because if you did then good job," Anthony said. Well that made feel horrible. Of course he didn't want to be mean. He didn't want to be heartless. And he knew Anthony was right.

"Hey hey, never mind. What's being done?" Anthony asked. He saw the look on Wendell's face and saw that he was hurt. Wendell told Anthony what Dr. Whitman said and the alternative medicine they were going to try.

"Hm, sounds New Age-y," Anthony said almost to himself. He knew that Wendell wouldn't know about the fads and movements from the "10th Kingdom".

"So where is this Medicine Man?" Anthony asked.

"He and his apprentice should be arriving any moment now. I had Thomas himself go retrieve them," Wendell replied. He sounded like he was reassuring himself.

"Have you eaten anything Prince?" Anthony asked using the old nickname. Wendell actually couldn't remember that he had.

"That's what I thought," Anthony said in an uncharacteristically fatherly tone. He rang the bell and a butler jumped to the door.

"Bring the King and I some lunch. Something nice and meaty for me, whatever for the King," he commanded. Wendell heard Anthony's order and smiled. 'Whatever for the King'. That was Anthony. And it was refreshing.

Their lunch arrived half an hour later. Of course it was a delicious meal, though Wendell didn't eat that much. It didn't go to waste. Anthony finished off Wendell's meal after finishing his own. Just as Anthony was licking the roast beef off of his fingers a servant knocked. It was Thomas.

"Majesty, Master Anthony," he added upon seeing Anthony, "the Healer is in the hall,".

"Well time to meet our savior" Wendell thought.

"Very well then Thomas. We will be there directly," he said regally. He walked as quickly as he could into the hall without losing his grace. He was a little bit surprised at what he saw.

"Your Majesty the Healer Mistress Yaga and her apprentice Rose," Thomas said.

He had expected to see a wispy old man. Maybe carrying a staff. He guessed he was expecting a wizard. What he saw instead was a sturdy old woman. She didn't look wispy at all. As a matter of fact she was a little intimidating.

But it was the apprentice who surprised him the most. The word 'apprentice' brought to mind a picture of a scrawny boy with a bowl cut tripping over luggage. Instead the apprentice was… beautiful. She had a peaches and cream complexion and golden hair put up loosely. Her eyes were dark green, like the emeralds in his treasury. Those eyes were set in a round face above a petit nose which led down to full pink lips. Then there were the curves. The girl was all bust and hips. She wasn't tall but she wasn't short. He knew he was blushing. Of course knowing that he was blushing made him blush even more. He saw that the girl was blushing too. He wondered if he had been staring. He bowed his head formally to hide his face and stop his staring. The women curtsied.

"Ladies. We are happy you have arrived. I trust Thomas has explained the situation to you?" Wendell said formally.

"Indeed he has Your Highness. I must admit that the situation sounds urgent. I would like to get started right away if that is satisfactory," Mistress Yaga said. Wendell could tell that this woman was no-nonsense. He liked that, especially in a woman who was about to engage in mystic healing.

"Excellent. Let us go to the Duchess' chambers," Wendell replied. He couldn't help but feel that Mistress Yaga would be calling the shots. She even walked next to Wendell instead of behind him as was customary. So Wendell was flanked by Anthony and Mistress Yaga. Rose though did walk behind them. Anthony soon fell behind. Wendell was quite sure it was to flirt with Rose.

Soon they reached the third floor of the right wing where the Duchess' chambers were. Mistress Yaga seemed to know exactly which room was Olga's. It was clear that she wanted to go in, but she knew that it was improper.

"Er, um Thomas open the door for Mistress Yaga," Wendell commanded. The door was opened and Thomas showed the healer in.

The Prince and Princess were in chairs pulled to the side of the little Duchess' bed. Her mother was holding her hand. It broke Wendell's heart. He prayed with all his being that this healing would work.


	8. Chapter 8

"_**Leave our house Witch!" a deep voice yelled. In the background a baby was crying. Her mother was making cooing noises to try and calm the baby.**_

"_**You tell me to leave? Even with what you know about the child? I offer her a chance that should not be given up. It will not be offered again," the witch said ominously. **_

"_**We hear you. We want you gone. You won't get your hands on our daughter!" the mother screamed. A resigned expression came on the witch's face. **_

"_**You do this to yourselves," she said. With that the witch said a few words to herself and threw a small satchel to the ground. Suddenly the man fell to floor writhing in pain. The woman looked down at her husband, terrified. She clutched her daughter close. **_

"_**Mistress Yaga please," she whispered with tears rolling down her cheeks, "Why can you not leave us in peace?"**_

"_**Because only I can manage Rose's talents. She must train with me, only me," the old woman explained as if she were telling the future. **_

"_**Why do you say we must give her up? She could train even if she were to stay with us. Or we could visit her. Why must we abandon her?" she choked. **_

"_**She must obey me, completely. You have no place in her new life," Mistress Yaga said. The way she said it made it clear that this was the end.**_

_**Mistress Yaga loaded the girl into her cart as the house behind her burned.**_


	9. Chapter 9

Rose should have been happier. She was riding in a carriage, a royal carriage, on her way to the palace. But she was just nervous. Really, really nervous. She hadn't had any time to properly dress. Her hair was still up in a messy bun. Her hands were covered in dirt from rooting through bins of herbs with dirty roots. She was sure she looked like the lowliest peasant.

They traveled in silence. It only took fifteen minutes. In those fifteen minutes Rose managed to work herself into a fit. She was almost hyperventilating.

"Calm down girl. Nobody's even going to notice you," Mistress Yaga said in a way that may have been meant to comfort Rose.

Rose gasped when they got out of the carriage. The palace was gleaming in the sun.

"It must take 100 people to get a place this big so clean," Rose thought in awe. She could only imagine how many people it took to keep the inside clean. She didn't have much time to think about the palace's cleaning schedule. Thomas and Mistress Yaga were practically racing to the doors and Rose had to scramble to catch up.

"Wait here while I inform the King of your arrival," Thomas said when they got to the hallway. Rose went white.

"The King? The King was going to see them personally?" she panicked. Her daydreams involving the king never involved her looking like a farm girl straight from planting. But like Mistress Yaga said, it wasn't like she would be noticed. And to make sure of that she would just hide behind Thomas and Mistress Yaga the whole time.

They waited in the massive hallway for Thomas to return with the king. Rose used this time to study the palace. There was a beautiful staircase to the left. Priceless paintings and wall hangings were strewn everywhere. This far exceeded the palace of her dreams. She was still lost in admiration when Thomas returned with the king. Mistress Yaga nudged her in the ribs to bring her back to reality.

"Pay attention girl! The King approaches," she hissed. That sobered Rose up. She slid behind Mistress Yaga.

Thomas reached them first, then the king, then a man who she assumed to be some noble. She gasped at the sight of King Wendell. He was the most handsome man she'd ever seen. He was so… regal. His chin was so strong, his nose so straight, and his lips so tempting. And his eyes, oh his eyes. They were a blue that she had never seen before. Almost like the sky and the ocean mixed. He was so tall and lean, and golden. He actually took her breath away! She looked at the wall hanging just to right of him so that she wouldn't stare into those crushingly beautiful blue eyes.

"Your Majesty the Healer Mistress Yaga and her apprentice Rose," Thomas said.

Briefly her gaze slipped to the king again. Her eyes traveled over his body. He looked like a sculpture. His arms looked like they would be perfect to snuggle up in. They looked like they could pin her up against a wall and… oh dear! Where had that come from? She saw that he had caught her looking at him. Oh no. She could feel her face becoming a shocking pink.

"What must he think of me?" she groaned inwardly, "Probably just that I'm a silly peasant girl that's star-struck,". Which was partly true. After all this was the KING.

He bowed his head, and they curtsied. The king then expressed his happiness at their arrival. He consulted with Mistress Yaga to make sure that she had been properly informed of the situation. Rose of course still didn't know the situation. She was resigned to the fact that she would have to pick up the information as they went.

Shortly they were walking towards their patient. Mistress Yaga was upfront with the king and his noble. Rose stayed obediently behind. Soon though, the noble fell behind to talk with Rose. She wasn't exactly educated in the ways of the court, but surely nobles didn't associate with commoners.

"Hello, Rose is it? My name is Tony Lewis. Lovely to meet you," he said warmly. Rose didn't know if he was flirting or just being nice. Of course up until now the flirting she had encountered had not been nearly so gentile.

"Thank you my Lord Tony. I am honored to meet you," she replied, hoping that that was a proper response.

"Please please, just call me Tony. I like it much better," Tony said with a grin. Rose smiled and agreed.

"So you work with Mistress Yaga? You're braver than me," he joked. That made Rose giggle.

"Why would you say that my… er Tony?" she asked lightly.

"Well the woman seems just a tad overbearing. As a matter of fact that what she reminds me of, a bear," he said.

Rose almost burst out laughing at that. Come to think of it Mistress Yaga was like a bear. Of course that wasn't a bad thing. Bears were very strong and noble animals.

"Mistress Yaga is a good person. She has only ever shown me kindness, and treats me as if I were her own kin," Rose said. Though it may have sounded rehearsed, Rose meant it.

"So how long have you been in training?" he asked to keep the conversation flowing.

"Oh ever since I was born I have been in training. Mistress Yaga's knowledge is vast and if I don't learn it all then it will be lost when she is gone," Rose said seriously.

"Do you ever take vacations, you know like to see your family?" Anthony asked. When he saw Rose's eyes tear up ever so slightly he regretted the question.

"I have no family. My parents died when I was a baby and as far as anybody knows my grandparents are dead as well. So you can see how fortunate I was to have Mistress Yaga. And why I am so eager to continue her legacy," the girl said quietly.

Anthony didn't have time to say anything else because they had arrived at their destination. Thomas led them to a bank of doors. It seemed as if Mistress Yaga knew which one to go into, but she had to wait for permission.

The king commanded Thomas to open the door, and one by one they all entered the room. Rose was saddened when she saw the scene in the room. A little girl covered in bandages was laying unconscious in an enormous bed that seemed to engulf her. Two people who Rose assumed were the girl's parents were huddled up against the bed. She could tell from their fine clothing that these must be the visiting dignitaries from the 2nd Kingdom. It was clear that they loved their daughter. Rose would not let this family be torn apart.

"We will save you little one," Rose thought fiercely, "we will,".


	10. Chapter 10

Mistress Yaga wasted no time. She marched straight to the girl's bed. The Prince and the Princess looked hopefully at her. Wendell had passed on the information about Empath healing to the teary eyed parents.

"You are the parents?" Mistress Yaga asked.

"Yes. I am the Princess Laetitia of the 2nd Kingdom and this," she said nodding towards her husband, "is my husband the Prince Adrien,". The princess was able to steady her voice while giving the introduction. It was royal upbringing.

Mistress Yaga curtsied.

"Your Majesties I am here to help your daughter. I can see that there is much to be done here," she told the royals. Then she turned to where she could see everyone.

"I must be alone with the child," she said. Nobody moved. They all looked shocked.

"Absolutely not! I will not leave my daughter alone," Prince Adrien roared.

"My Lord," Mistress Yaga soothed, "There are too many emotions in this room. Too many thoughts. I need to focus on the Duchess' feelings as much as possible,".

It made a certain sense to Wendell. Still he wasn't sure if Prince Adrien and Princess Laetitia would see that. After a few moments of silence the princess nodded.

"Yes. We will leave you. We would never do anything to hinder your attempts," she said. Thomas opened the door to let everyone out. As Anthony was giving the "after you" sign to Rose Mistress Yaga amended her statement.

"Rose will stay with me," she said.

Rose immediately stepped back towards her teacher. Wendell wasn't looking and bumped into her. He instinctively held out his arms to catch her.

"Er, I'm very sorry," he mumbled. He couldn't bring himself to raise him voice any higher. He was too embarrassed. He was quite sure that when steadying her, his hand grazed her chest.

"No I, thank you… Your Majesty," the poor girl managed to reply.

"Great," Wendell thought miserably, "She felt my hand!"

He left the room with everyone else. They all milled about in the hallway. Princess Laetitia and Prince Adrien had their eyes glued to the bedroom door. It looked like they were trying to see through the wood. Thomas had faded into the background, ready to come to hand whenever needed. Anthony was fidgeting. He looked like he didn't really know what to do. It was a very awkward situation to be in the sick bay of a child who he didn't even know. Wendell was just trying to maintain an aura of dignity in this uncomfortable situation. He didn't think that allowing his guests to see him a state of panic would be good for his kingdom.

Well nobody could accuse him of not trying. He was doing everything possible to diffuse the situation. He called in his private doctor, had almost every other doctor in the kingdom coming in for second, third, fourth, fifth, etc opinions, and had even brought in some psychic medicine woman.

"Your Majesties, perhaps you should retire to your chambers for some rest. I will have food sent up," Wendell said. It wouldn't do to have the Prince and Princess waste away in his hallway. Once the guests were taken care of, Wendell and Anthony returned to his study.

"What a day," Wendell said wearily.

"Come on Prince, that little girl is gonna be just fine. I mean that Mistress Yaga looks like she could cure anything," Anthony said when he saw the look on Wendell's face, "I bet she and Rose have healed hundreds of kids,".

"Yes they certainly did look capable," Wendell admitted. Thinking of Rose made him blush, again. Anthony caught sight of the pink shadow across his face.

"Well when I look at Rose 'capable' certainly isn't the first word that comes to mind," he said with a chuckle.

"Of course you probably didn't notice how pretty she is. I know how you royal types are, never look at any woman unless she's got a title," he joked. He knew that Wendell had been a snob all of his life, but he was getting better.

"Hey! I noticed how pretty she is! Er that is, I mean I can notice women… er people without her being an aristocrat," he stumbled. The pink shadow turned red. At that point it was obvious to Wendell that Anthony was teasing him.

"Really Anthony I have more important things to do than to think about women and let you tease me," he said.

"Ok ok," Anthony said while he was yawning, " Hey will you look at the time Prince? With all the unpleasantness going on, I didn't even realize that it was past seven. Better get some food in here,".

"Anthony is there ever a situation in which you are too upset to eat?" Wendell asked with an amused grin on his face. With everything going on, food was the last thing on his mind.

"Are you kidding? Sometimes I eat when I'm upset," he laughed.

"Anthony you go ahead and eat, I still have some paperwork to do here," he said. He really did have a stack of papers requiring his attention. There were prison releases, treasury reports, and a million other things.

"Come on Prince. The riding hood royals aren't the only ones that need to take care of themselves. If it wasn't for my reminding you, you'd probably waste away," Anthony reproached. Sometimes he could be a downright nag. Wendell wouldn't budge. In truth he really wanted to be alone.

"Okay, but I'm having some food brought up for you," Anthony warned. Wendell chucked quietly as Anthony walked out of the study. Then he sighed and sat down at his desk. He rifled through the papers next to him and took up his quill.

"Let's see. Ah some prison releases," he mumbled. These were papers sent to him by wardens from prisons all over the kingdom. The prisoners in question were all wolves. His proclamation had been made, but none of these wolves could leave a prison without the proper forms. Of course there were some tricky bits of his decree. More than a few of those wolves were in fact hard criminals. They were not being persecuted just for being wolves, at least not this time around. This particular prisoner was convicted of 'eating' a farmer's daughter.

"Why is eating in quotes?" he thought. Then he read the rest of the report. The farmer's daughter had given birth to a thick haired baby boy nine months later, named after the wolf.

"Oh I see. Well certainly seduction doesn't deserve a life sentence," he thought. He wrote up a pardon and signed and sealed it. He did this with a few more prison reports, then moved on to treasury matters. However he did not get very far. The numbers just weren't interesting enough to hold his attention. His head was someplace else. It was busy recalling the features of Rose's face. When he heard himself sigh, he snapped out of his daydream.

He commanded himself to go back to work and picked up the closest paper. Too bad for him it was a treasury report. Right before he fell asleep he heard a knock. It was the meal Anthony threatened to send up. Wendell motioned for the servant to place it on a side table and leave. He tried for a few more minutes to get through the treasury report, but gave it up to eat.

He felt himself relax as soon as he lifted the lid on the platter. It was a beautiful dinner. The green beans were vibrant and crisp. The lamb was roasted with rosemary potatoes and served with caramelized garlic. But the dessert was the best. A rich custard with chocolate and berries. There wasn't a scrap left. By the time he was finished, he could hardly keep his eyes open. Thankfully his study was equipped with a big plush couch. Without really thinking about it, he laid down and fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

"_Ooooolga! Ooooolga! Olga where are you?" came a strained voice. It sounded like it came from a million miles away. She knew this voice. It was her nurse Leeza. Well she would not go to Leeza. And she would not go back to her parents. She would stay here in her special hiding place._

"_Olga! Olga come here! Please," Leeza called. She could hear that the voice was getting closer. Fear crept into her. _

"_Please don't find me," she prayed while scooting further back into her hiding place. It was the knot of a tree that had its opening covered by a wall of moss. She only found it when she accidentally threw a ball through the moss. She repeated the prayer over and over again. Tears were streaming down her tiny face._

"_Olga darling, its Mama! Please help us find you dear. We are so worried!" came another voice. This one sounded very close, and Olga was very tempted to come out._

"_I'm sorry Mama," she thought, but she would not budge. She was too afraid to move._


	12. Chapter 12

_Sorry I've been away so long. I had a serious case of writer's block. Chant in Latin, emotions shared, dreams shared, healing shared._

Rose watched from the corner as Mistress Yaga examined the girl. Her tools and herbs were laid out on the table next to the bed.

"Mistress Yaga why do you need your tools? I thought you were going to go into her mind," Rose asked.

"Sometimes, if they are too long in the dream world, the patient will die. Their spirits get lost and without a spirit a body can not live. These herbs, I have not taught you about them yet, they will help to keep the spirit bound to its body. You will learn after this," Mistress Yaga explained. Her tone was unusual. Usually it was brisk and direct. This time though she explained slowly. Rose began to panic.

"Mistress, if I do not know of these methods how will I aid you? If something goes wrong I can do nothing! You must teach me now!" she said in near delirium. Once again Mistress Yaga's tone was gentle and her words came slowly.

"Rose, I will handle the herbs. You will learn these things later. Your job has nothing to do with them today," she explained. She saw the look on Rose's face. The next part of her answer she delivered in the clearest way possible.

"Rose, you will find the girl. You will go into the dream world. It is I who will be keeping you alive," she explained, "Rose you are the Empath,".

Rose stood with her mouth open, staring at Mistress Yaga. Surely she couldn't be serious. Could she? After all Empaths were able to fell what others did. They could tap into the emotions of other people. Rose certainly couldn't do that. Movement caught her eye and snapped her out of her thoughts. It was Mistress Yaga coming at her with a vial in her hand.

"When I took you in, I knew you were special. It didn't take me long to divine your power. But you were too young, I didn't think you would ever have to… well I thought maybe it would be best to wait. So I bound your power. I blocked your access to your abilities. Drink this and you will be able to reach your power," Mistress Yaga explained. She could see that Rose was reluctant to touch the vial, much less drink what was in it.

"Rose you must. It is the only way to help this child. You must," she commanded but with sincere concern in her voice. Without saying anything Rose took the vial and downed the liquid. Mistress Yaga prepared herself. She couldn't let Rose get into her head. She had to block her feelings in order to make it easier for Rose to find the child.

For a moment after drinking the potion Rose didn't say anything. Her skin turned a sickly green and her eyes started to water. Her head was banging and her face was hot. Waves of sorrow and fear rushed over her. She knew that these were not her feelings.

"Oh my God," she whispered, "such fear. I must find her. What do I do? How do I enter the dream world?"

"Come lie next to her," Mistress Yaga instructed, "Then hold her hand. Concentrate on every feeling you get from her. You needn't worry about my feelings, I can block them. I spread a paste on your forehead and the girl's forehead. Then you will chant these words until you are in her dream _'sensus partis, somnium partis, curatio partis'_".

Rose did as she was told. She squeezed Olga's hand as Mistress Yaga spread a thick minty smelling paste on her head.

"Now Child, the words," Mistress Yaga reminded. Rose closed her eyes and began chanting.

"Sensus partis, somnium partis, curatio partis. Sensus partis, somnium partis, curatio partis. Sensus partis, somnium partis, curatio partis…"she trailed off. Olga's emotions began to be more than just emotions. They began to form pictures. Still they weren't dreams. So she continued to chant. After a few more moments, she was no longer in the room. She was in a forest. Olga's emotions threatened to paralyze her. There was so much fear in the forest, and so much sadness. She had to force those feelings to the side. She filled her mind with happy thoughts. There was the first time she rode a horse. The birthday that Mistress Yaga bought her a bolt of silk cloth for a new dress. The smell and taste of honey cakes. Then one came unbidden, a memory of the King. The way she felt when he bumped into her. Suddenly the forest was a little brighter to her, and the sadness washed to the wayside. She could move again.

She began to walk down the path in front of her. She looked around at all the moss covered trees. There were no birds in them. As a matter of fact there didn't seem to be any animals anywhere. There was loneliness.

"Duchess Olga? Are you in here? My name is Rose and I'm here to help you. Please tell me where you are if you can," she yelled. There was no answer. She continued to walk. Though to be truthful she wasn't sure where she was going.

So she opened herself up again. She would use Olga's emotions to find her. Maybe she could focus the feelings and use them like a beacon that would lead her to Olga. She readied herself for the pain. She put the happy memories away. Slowly she tried to feel which direction they were coming from. She didn't think. She just walked.

Soon her feet led her to a giant oak. It was the tallest tree she'd ever seen. It was taller than most of the buildings she'd seen. Moss and vines crept up the sides. Rose looked up. This was where the emotions were coming from. But it was impossible for Olga to be in the tree. The lowest branch had to be 20 feet up. How would she get up there?

"This is a dream world Rose.," she thought, "Anything can be done,". So she dreamed herself taller. Then taller. She dreamed herself 20 feet tall. She searched the lower branches.

"Olga, please let me know where you are. I want to help you," she sighed. She could tell that Olga would not speak up. She was too afraid.

"Olga, I know you're afraid. I don't know what of, but if you tell me then maybe I can help. But you have to listen to me, you're very sick. Your parents sent me here to help you," she said in desperation. When only silence answered she let herself shrink back down to her normal size. She sat at the base of the tree, unsure of what to do next. A small sniffle interrupted her reverie.

"Olga?" she asked as her head swiveled around looking for the source of the sound. Though she couldn't see the little girl, she heard her voice.

"Mama and Papa sent you? Are they mad at me?" the voice asked timidly.

"Oh no your Grace. They are just worried," Rose answered to someplace vaguely above her, "Your body is very sick. They say you are lost here in the dream world,".

"They sent you to help me go home?" she asked.

"Yes, that is right," Rose answered.

"Will I get to go home or will I have to stay and marry the king? I don't want to marry the king. I don't want to live in the 4th kingdom," she sobbed.

Rose was surprised. They were going to force this little girl to marry the king? No wonder the girl was scared. Should she lie to the girl and say that she wouldn't have to get married? She didn't know anything about wedding arrangements.

"Your parents did not say anything about a marriage. They just want you to be healthy and happy. They are worried," Rose answered. It was the best she could come up with.

"I will wait for you while you think about it," Rose said. She left it up to Olga.


	13. Chapter 13

**Olga sat in her hiding place and thought about what the strange woman said. **

"**She said that I'm sick, and that Momma and Papa are very worried about me," she said to herself. She never liked to make her parents upset. Was she dying? If she didn't go back with this woman, would she be dead? After giving it some serious thought, she called out to Rose.**

"**You there, strange mademoiselle!" she called down to the base of the tree.**

"**Olga must have made up her mind," Rose thought as she turned to face the voice. **

"**Yes My Lady?" she called.**

"**I think maybe that I should go with you," the little girl said in a very mature tone. Rose had to stop herself from jumping for joy. She felt like she was trying to trap a fawn. One wrong move and the little deer would bolt. **

"**Yes My Lady, that is a wise decision," she said respectfully. **

"**Of course it is. Now stand back, I am going to jump down," Olga commanded. Rose was distressed by the little noble's announcement. **

"**My Lady, what if you hurt yourself?" she cried.**

"**Do not be silly, if it is as you say then this is just a spirit world. That would make me a spirit too and how can a spirit get hurt?" Olga said in a tone that was both exasperated and condescending. She was a true aristocrat. **


	14. Chapter 14

Rose had no idea what to do. It had been nearly ten minutes since Olga had come down from her hiding place. They had linked hands and then… well nothing. Rose thought that once she had Olga, her time in the spirit world would be over. But still they lingered there. So they walked.

"Strange Mademoiselle where are we going?" Olga whined. Although Rose had told the girl her name more times than she could count, the child insisted on calling her "Strange Mademoiselle".

"We are looking for a sign my Lady," she replied, "so keep your eyes open for something that might lead to the way home,". She could feel Olga's fear. Fear that maybe they would be stuck in this place forever. But she was also annoyed. Rose felt the same way, but she couldn't tell if those were her true feelings or if they had been blended with Olga's. If she ever got back she was going to really train to gain control over this "gift".

"Strange Mademoiselle, how did you find me?" Olga asked. Her fear had subsided some but the annoyance was still there. But this question she asked with only a feeling of curiosity. This girl would be a fine ruler if she ever got the chance. Her cleverness was overcoming her fear. Rose smiled at Olga.

"Well, I just tried to… I guess feel the way to you. I thought of you and suddenly I was walking to where you were," Rose said as she thought about it.

"Voila! There is the problem. Before you were feeling now you are thinking. You must feel again," the little royal said confidently.

"You know my Lady, I believe you are right. You are quite clever. Your parents must be very proud of you," Rose said approvingly. Then she felt a surge of pride. That was Olga. Olga was proud of herself, and happy that Rose was happy with her.

Rose cleared her head and tried to feel something that would find their way home. Her heart reached out on an exploratory mission. Things in this world felt shimmery and fleeting. But there was one direction that was sending a feeling of… was it solidarity? It was an overwhelming feeling too, one that didn't fade away. So Rose went that way. Faintly she heard scuttling behind her as Olga scrambled to keep up with her. Soon Rose was so full of this feeling of constancy that it felt as though she was walking into a wall.

"Strange Mademoiselle! Look" cried Olga. It was not until now that Rose noticed that her eyes had been closed.

They were at a pool of very deep, very blue and very still water. Through the pool the two could see their bodies as they were in the physical world. There they were lying on the huge four poster bed, just as they had been when Rose's spirit left her body. She could see Mistress Yaga's hand applying ointment and water onto her forehead.

"Are we meant to jump into that?" the little duchess asked with concern in her voice. Rose didn't know what to do. So instead of answering she dipped her fingers in the water.

It didn't feel like water. It wasn't wet. It was silky and had no temperature. It was not cool nor was it warm. It reminded her more of layered clouds than of water once she touched it.

"My Lady, give me your hands," Rose said airily. She thought she knew what to do, but wasn't sure how she knew. Olga was a little huffy about being so directly ordered to do something by someone so obviously below her rank, but she obeyed anyway.

"Kneel down to the edge with me and we will put our hands in the water. Then say these words with me _'sensus partis, somnium partis, curatio partis'_," Rose told Olga. But instead of starting the chant with Rose when they put their hands in the water, Olga gave a little squeak of surprise at the weightless silkiness of the pool. Soon after though she joined the chant. The pool began to glow and right beside them an archway appeared. Through it Rose could feel the familiar feelings of the physical world. She could feel the concern, fear, guilt, anger, and hope that filled the palace. Once the archway was in place, the pool stopped glowing.

"We may go through now My Lady," Rose said assuredly. At last their journey was over.

"You go through first, your spirit has been gone from its body longer than mine, and you must hurry home," Rose said as she smiled at Olga. Olga did not say anything, but nodded her head causing her dark ringlets to bounce. The child seemed to be mesmerized by the beautiful arch of light. From the moment it appeared her hand had been outstretched to touch it. So as soon as Rose gave the go ahead she ran through the archway. Rose was left alone in the sprit world.

As she wondered and worried about whether or not Olga made it back to her body, something to her right caught her eye and she felt a presence. Suddenly she was not alone. She turned to face what had appeared. There were two people looking at her, a man and a woman. They both looked as if they would cry.

"Hello," Rose said cautiously. She didn't know why, but she felt as if she should talk to them.

"Hello Rose," the woman said with a fondness in her voice that piqued Rose's curiosity.

"Do we know each other?" Rose asked. This time it was the man that answered.

"No. But we should," he said sadly. Rose could feel a wave of bitterness rolling off of him. Rose didn't understand what was going on. There was a small seedling of hope that Rose suppressed. There were only two people that she could imagine needing to know.

"Rose you know who we are. I can see it in your eyes. Go ahead and say it," the woman said coaxingly.

"My parents," Rose choked out.


	15. Chapter 15

Wendell awoke to Anthony shaking him. The room was dark except for the flickering candles around his desk.

"Prince! The Duchess is awake!" he was almost shouting. This bit of news certainly dismissed any lingering drowsiness. Instantly he was awake.

"She's alive? Is she alright? Have the Prince and Princess been informed?" he asked. By the time he was on the last question he was already across the room.

"She's alive. I don't know if she's alright and when I came down to get you some servants were going to get the Prince and Princess," Anthony replied briskly. He started to trot after Wendell, the young king was rapidly making his way to the stairway. Anthony was panting when he got to the hallway leading to the Olga's room. He fell behind the king as Wendell took the stairs two at a time.

As Anthony came to the sickroom door, he stopped himself. He could not be the first one in. He looked around and saw Thomas.

"Thomas, have the Prince and Princess gone into the room yet?" he asked.

Thomas stepped forward to give his answer, "Yes Your Majesty. Shall I announce Your Highness?".

"How long have they been in with her?" Wendell asked before giving the command.

"Not yet fifteen minutes," Thomas said.

"Then no. Have somebody notify me after another fifteen minutes. They should have at least half an hour with their daughter," he told Thomas as if he were just deciding.

Then as an afterthought, "What of the Healer and her apprentice? Have they come out yet?".

"No Sire not yet," Thomas informed him.

"Probably giving some medical advice to the Prince and Princess," he thought to himself. So he started back down the hall.

"What's going on with the Duchess?" Anthony asked as they met mid-hallway.

"I've put off going in for another fifteen minutes to allow the family some together time. I do wish I could speak to that Healer though," Wendell answered. Here Anthony grinned a cheeky grin.

"And I would like to speak to that pretty apprentice. She was very charming," he grinned, "But I can't for the life of me remember her name," he said in a frustrated tone. Then he began listing names.

"It was something really feminine. If I could only remember what it started with, I know I could figure it out," he said almost to himself.

"Rose," Wendell said quieter than he meant to.

"What?" Anthony asked with his head cocked to the side.

"The apprentice's name is Rose, Anthony," he repeated in a louder voice.

"That's it! I knew it was something like that," Anthony exclaimed in a satisfied voice. Then he did a double take and gave a sideways look at Wendell.

"She really is pretty. But I always did have a fondness for redheads," Anthony said with a smile on his face.

"She isn't a redhead. Her hair is blonde, with a slight strawberry glow," Wendell told Anthony in a way that suggested he was telling a child a well known fact.

"Uh huh," Anthony said as if analyzing something, "I see,".

"What do you see Anthony?" Wendell asked in a distracted voice. He wasn't really paying attention to Anthony.

"You have the hots for Rose," Anthony said teasingly. Wendell began to blush deeply, a reaction that belied his claim that he did "not even know" what that term meant. It at least suggested that he understood the implication.

" 'A strawberry glow'?" Anthony snorted, "Come on you have a major thing for this girl. You don't talk that way about somebody unless you have some sort of interest in them,". Wendell just looked down at his feet and murmured something about improper conversation for gentlemen. Before Anthony could get another jab out Thomas was upon them.

"Sire, there is a problem in the sickroom," he said breathlessly. He had sprinted down the hallway the minute he heard the news, and that was quite a feat for a man of his age.

"What kind of problem Thomas?" he asked after the servant had regained his composure.

"Something is wrong with Mistress Yaga's apprentice. She has not regained consciousness," he said somberly. Wendell's face which had been so red before, was now as white as a sheet. The king raced down the hallway at a speed that suggested he had not lost all the traits of a golden retriever. Thomas looked at Anthony with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Glad he didn't have his eye on Virginia," Anthony said, which caused Thomas even more confusion.

"The boy's a jinx," he continued.


	16. Chapter 16

Mistress Yaga was starting to worry. Rose had been in the spirit world for almost half an hour now while Olga had been secluded in her dreams for nearly three and a half hours. And for most of that time her body was not being nourished properly. Perhaps it was too late for her spirit to even return. The sturdy healer put that thought out of her head as she reached for more ointment.

Suddenly a movement on the bed drew her attention. It was Olga! The girl was awake and was touching her face. Her petit fingers were exploring the scratches and bruises there. Then she sat up and shook her head. Mistress Yaga rushed to her with a glass.

"Here before you do anything drink this, and don't try and get up yet," she ordered. Then she went to the door to fetch a servant.

"Go and get the Princess and Prince! Their daughter is awake," she told Thomas who was standing outside the door.

"Strange Mademoiselle where am I?" Mistress Yaga heard the little girl say. Then with more urgency and a hint of annoyance,

"Strange Mademoiselle? Strange Mademoiselle! Why will you not wake up and answer me?!" This pulled Mistress Yaga immediately back to the bed. She did not say anything but instead took Rose's hand to measure her pulse. Then she did the same thing but at Rose's neck. It was too fast. Something was not right. Her pulse had not been this fast when she was searching for, and apparently finding, Olga. Why should it be so fast now? What or who was causing this? Something in the spirit world was exciting Rose and keeping her there.

"I should have warned her more thoroughly," Mistress Yaga thought, scolding herself. The spirit world could be full of temptations, impossibilities in the physical world. She knew that to an extent Rose was a sheltered and sometimes lonely girl. Perhaps some fantasy had come to sweep her away. She didn't know how long Rose's body could survive without her spirit. She also didn't know how to retrieve Rose, for only Rose had the Empath gift. Her thoughts were interrupted when the door burst open. Princess Laetitia and Prince Adrien were rushing into the room.

"Oh my petite fille cherie! You are awake now! How happy we are to have you back with us!" the princess cried. Relieved tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Our little sugar doll is back!" laughed Prince Adrien. For a royal, his laugh was rather jolly. Momentarily Olga was persuaded to forget about her friend back in the spirit world. While this heartwarming family reunion was going on Mistress Yaga was thinking. But soon little Olga asked for her attention.

"I almost forgot about Strange Mademoiselle," she said ashamedly, "Where is she?". Her parents looked at her and then at the girl beside her. Princess Laetitia gasped.

"If she is dead, I want my daughter moved immediately," the princess commanded.

"She can not be dead Mama!" Olga screeched, "I was just speaking to her,". The poor girl was sincerely afraid for Rose.

"She is not dead," Mistress Yaga declared, "yet," she thought.

"But she may be soon," Princess Laetitia concluded. Mistress Yaga could not deny this. The Princess nodded as if making up her mind.

"We must move Olga," she finally said aloud.

"But Mama!" Olga objected, "Strange Mademoiselle might need me with her as I needed her with me,". Mistress Yaga moved to the door as the two quarreled over Olga's sleeping arrangements. Faintly she heard them both apply to Prince Adrien for support. By this time Mistress Yaga was at the door looking for a servant. The King would have to be notified, if only for the fact that Rose would have to stay in the palace longer than planned. She saw Thomas coming towards her. She assumed that he had just finished informing the King of Olga's recovery.

"Thomas I must send you to the King once more. My apprentice has not regained consciousness, and she should have by now," she told him. Thomas did not need any further explanation. He simply bowed, turned and calmly sprinted down the hall.


	17. Chapter 17

Rose looked in wonder at the two people standing in front of her. The woman was pretty, petite, and dark. She looked nothing like Rose. The man was taller, not by much, with light skin but dark hair and eyes. He also looked nothing like Rose.

"They don't look how I imagined, but somehow perfect," she thought to herself. Then when she looked carefully she could see that she had her mother's mouth, ears and nose. And she had her father's eyes. For a long time all she did was look at them. They were waiting for her to speak.

"You can't be here," she finally whispered.

"Rose, dear, where do you think you are? Why do you think this place is called the spirit world?" her mother asked gently. Rose had no answer for that. Mistress Yaga told her over and over again that impossible things were possible in this place. Then something hit her.

"How do I know you are really my parents? What if you're some sort of beasts trying to trick me?" she asked accusingly. Apparently they had been ready for this question.

"If you will come here and take our hands we can prove what we say is true," the man said. Though her mind raced with thoughts of treachery and traps she couldn't help herself. Quickly she was in front of them. The two each held out a hand to her. She could only assume that she was to take them. She could never have imagined what would happen when she did.

It was as if she had traveled back in time. Like she could remember everything that had ever happened to her. All the way back to her being born. Only it wasn't her looking out, it was her parents looking at her. They were the memories that her parents had of her. She watched herself being born, then felt the flood of emotions that overwhelmed her mother and father. She watched from her father's eyes as her mother wrapped her in swaddling clothes. Then she watched from her mother's eyes as her father rocked her to sleep. But no matter what they were doing she always felt tremendous love. Then after all that bliss, she saw Mistress Yaga. She watched, just as her mother had done, as her father fell on the floor in agony.

Rose couldn't take it any longer. She staggered away as she released her parents' hands. She knew now that they were truly her parents. No demon could fake that love. She was breathing heavily and trying to keep from crying. Her emotions always showed on her face. Mistress Yaga said it was a weakness, not a good thing for a healer or a business woman. At the thought of Mistress Yaga shock hit her. In the memory it looked as if Mistress Yaga had caused her father's pain.

"You are… you must be," Rose whispered. She was looking down at her shoes. Then quickly she looked up.

"May I hug you?" she asked hopefully knowing perfectly well that she sounded more than a little pitiful. That question set her parents off and she was in their arms in an instant. Finally she could no longer keep her eyes dry. She was crying, so was her mother and her father didn't look far off either.

Rose didn't know how long they stayed like that, but finally they parted.

"Mother?" Rose asked slowly turning the cherished word over in her mouth, "What happened to you? It looked as if Mistress Yaga hurt Father,". At the mention of Mistress Yaga her mother frowned and her father's face darkened.

"Come sit with us dear one," her mother said sweetly, "we will tell you how we lost you,".


	18. Chapter 18

_ Hi everyone. Sorry for the super-long delay, school you know how it is. A while ago somebody pointed out that I got Wendell's age wrong. Oops. Out of laziness, I'm going to leave everybody's age alone. Also I have left many of you unthanked. I want you all to know that you are amazing to even bother to read this, especially when there are soooo many stories on fanfiction. So once again thank you and I look forward to any reviews or criticism you have._

Wendell had raced down the hall to get to the Duchess's sickroom. However now that he was here, he didn't quite know what to do. He hesitated at the door.

"Alright look at the positive," he told himself, "Duchess Olga is alive. A major crisis has been averted. I'm sure that Mistress Yaga will be able to revive Rose,".

"Besides better for the kingdom that Rose dies instead of Olga," he hated to add. He was king now, that was how kings thought. It unsettled him. It was so much easier when he was a spoiled, shallow prince. Even when he had thoughts like that in back then, they didn't bother him.

"What a time to grow a conscience," he muttered. He took a breath and opened the door. Surprisingly Olga and her parents were not there. Only Mistress Yaga and Rose were there. Mistress Yaga was alternating hovering over Rose and hovering over her herbs. She was cutting things up, mashing things together, shaking up liquids and looking as if somebody had threatened to take a whip to her. For a while all he could do was watch as her deft hands worked. He stepped back into the shadow of the door when she took a pot to the fire. He expected her to see him, how could she not? It seemed however that she was too involved in her work to notice anything. He was uncertain as to what to do next. He was torn between leaving Mistress Yaga to her work and asking for some sort of progress report. He didn't have to make the choice.

"Your Majesty may come in if He wishes," Mistress Yaga said without diverting her attention from Rose. Wendell felt a blush rise in his cheeks, another thing he must learn to control. He realized that Mistress Yaga had known he was there the whole time. This woman was very adept at making him feel like a nosy little boy.

However he did his best to regally step into the room. Rose looked even worse than Duchess Olga had. Even with all of Olga's cuts on her face, she didn't look like… well death. Rose's face was so pale and chalky that it was hard to believe that she wasn't already dead. Her lips had turned from their delightful pink hue to a sickly lavender. She was also sweating, a lot.

"I don't see how she can possibly survive," he thought as a wave of nausea swept over him.

"As Your Majesty can clearly see, we are having some trouble. My apprentice is, it seems, lost in the spirit world. Since I myself am not an empathic healer it may take me a while to figure out how to bring her back," Mistress Yaga said without waiting to be addressed as she timed Rose's pulse.

"Still too fast," she muttered to herself.

Wendell tried to ignore the fact that the mature healer was treating him as a nuisance.

"I presume that it will be too dangerous to move her," he said. Mistress Yaga simply nodded. She must have changed her mind because she quickly turned around and addressed him once more.

"Your Majesty," she said while looking him straight in the eye, "I think that I should be completely honest about the danger that my apprentice is in,". He could see Mistress Yaga's sadness, weariness, and frustration on her face.

"Rose is caught in the Spirit World. Her whole Spirit, her whole consciousness, is separated from her body. She wanders in the place of the dead. That is the ability of Empaths, they can experience the feelings of others, and they can walk in the domain of spirits. But it is dangerous, a body can't live long without its soul," she said.

"Duchess Olga survived for hours in the spirit world," Wendell told Mistress Yaga. It was close enough to a question to prompt Mistress Yaga into an answer.

"The Duchess' situation was different. All of her spirit was not in the OtherWorld. Yes she was lost, but at first it was if she were sleeping. A part of her spirit was in the realm of spirits, just as it is when she, when everybody, sleeps. The danger for her was in the fact that as time went on, more and more of her spirit departed. Her soul was slowly drifting away from her body. That is why Rose was needed," she explained.

"Rose's whole spirit at once went into the spirit world," Wendell said, more to himself than to Mistress Yaga.

"Yes it did Your Majesty. She has much less time, and nobody to pull her out," finished Mistress Yaga somberly.

"Please let Thomas know if there is anything we can provide you with," he said awkwardly, he didn't know what else to say. She only nodded again. Having never felt so superfluous he left the room, again trying to keep his dignity.

His next step was to visit the duchess and her parents. Thomas informed him of their location. Though he wasn't nervous, he was jittery. He was full of adrenaline and energy. Briefly he wondered if he would feel like this every time he had to face a crisis. Probably. He would gain experience with time of course, but this energy was for the good. It kept him alert.

He arrived at the Duchess' chambers. He knocked and was given permission to enter. The Prince and Princess were waiting for him by a window in the room's antechamber.

"Princess. Prince," he said while greeting them with a bow. The Prince returned his bow, and the Princess gave a curtsy.

"Ah good King Wendell," Princess Laetitia said warmly, "how nice of you to come and see us,".

"The Duchess' health and comfort is of the utmost importance to us," he said using the royal "we". He was meant to say "of the utmost importance to me," but using "me" felt too…intimate. It was strange how he dissected everything he or anybody else said now.

"Our daughter is resting in her bedroom," Prince Adrien said with a motion towards the door behind them.

"I would not wish to disturb her," Wendell said. Truly he did not want to see the girl. He just came to acknowledge her recovery. He had done that.

"Now what do I do?" he thought to himself. Surely there must be something, this was a kingdom after all! Things always needed doing. Paperwork. Yes he would do paperwork. So once again he headed to his study.


	19. Chapter 19

"From the very beginning I knew you were special," her mother told her.

"I had always heard horrible things about being with child.," she continued, "Our neighbor to the east had delivered a girl the summer before you came. She was always in pain. Her feet would swell until she couldn't walk, she would be sick to her stomach all day, and she was always tired but could never find sleep. It was much the same for the cobbler's wife who had given birth to a boy two years prior, and added to all those pains the poor woman was robbed of emotional control. I was dreading the symptoms of pregnancy," her mother said.

"But you, you never caused so much as a headache. I never felt sick, tired, or even upset. Your father said that during those nine months I was in a better mood than I had been in the entire time he'd known me," her mother continued with a smile.

"And its true. Your mother never stopped smiling. It was as if you comforted her from the inside out," her father cut in.

"Our neighbors all remarked on the strangeness of it," her mother went on, "and soon Mistress Yaga appeared,". Here her smile disappeared.

"You see Mistress Yaga was known as a great midwife and healer. But she lived so far from the village that usually a woman goes to her home to be treated before she is due. Mistress Yaga then could tell when the woman would go into labor. On that day, Mistress Yaga would come to the woman's home and deliver the child. I had not yet gone to Mistress Yaga so the surprise was great,".

"Mistress Yaga asked me question after question about how I felt, what I craved, how I slept, did I ever feel sick, did I feel tired, everything you can imagine. She then told me that mine was an extraordinary pregnancy. She asked to stay for a few days in order to watch me more closely. I trusted the woman renowned for her almost magical healing ability. So she stayed," her mother said.

"Right away it seemed like trouble," her father took up.

"That woman was always watching your mother. Examining her as a cat would examine a sparrow's nest. She wanted something from us, that we could tell after a few days," he finished.

"Yes. But how could we know? How could we realize what she wanted? Considering my condition, and her interest I suppose we should have realized. But we would never think to…," her mother stopped short. She couldn't finish the sentence.

"Steal a baby," her father finished the sentence.

"We could never think to steal a baby, so we couldn't fathom somebody wanting to. It never occurred to us," he explained.

"After two weeks Mistress Yaga left. We were glad to be rid of her. But then when your mother went into labor, there she was at the door again. I knew nothing of delivering babies and there was a storm that night. Going to get a neighbor would be too dangerous, so I let her in. I should have risked it," he finished with a pained expression and the last sentence under his breath. Rose saw her mother put her hand on her father's shoulder to comfort him.

"Darling, Mistress Yaga knew you had the Empath power when she first left our home. She came back in order to take you away from us. When we refused…she killed us," her mother told her.

Rose's eyes watered and she was breathing heavily. She tried to stop herself, but soon she was sobbing.

"Why? Why would she want me? Up until today I didn't even know about the power? Why would she steal me and then keep it a secret? Why would she…?" Rose cried. Her mother glided over and hugged her.

"Rose," her father said as his wife hugged Rose, "Mistress Yaga wants to use you. Just like every ability, your Empath power can be used or the good of others, or in the case of Mistress Yaga, it can be used to further one's own ends weather they be good or bad. An Empath can see bits of the future while they are in the Sprit World. Mistress Yaga wants to use you to see the future.

Rose had to sit down. It was her fault that her parents were dead. It was her stupid "power" that killed them. She started to cry. She cried with sadness, guilt and then anger. She felt hate bubbling up inside of her.

"I'll never help her! I'll… I'll, I don't know what I'll do…" she sobbed. Her mother glided over to her. Rose lifted her head to see her mother's face.

"Mother, Father," she said as she looked at them both, "I'm going to kill her. I don't know how, but I will,". It felt good to say. It felt liberating to say it. She was happy to say it. But her parents didn't look happy to hear it.

"Rose," her father said in a firm voice, "you must not do that. To kill a fellow human being, no matter how horrible they are, would take something away from you that you can never recover. Killing is a last resort, a primitive animalistic way to keep your self and your loved ones alive,".

"Killing for vengeance is a hollowing experience. It won't bring us back, and it will only diminish who you are. Darling your destiny is not to kill but to heal," her mother added.

"You," she said in a proud voice, "will heal nations,". Those were the last words she heard as her parents, and the OtherWorld faded away.


	20. Chapter 20

Duchess Olga was sneaking through the palace halls in the wee hours of the morning when she heard a strange noise. Well, as a member of the Royal House of the 2nd Kingdom she wasn't really sneaking. Still she would rather her parents not join her. It was a thud. It reminded her of when she was younger, and had accidentally caused one of the cooks to drop a sack of potatoes.

Being a naturally curious little girl, she wandered over in the direction of the sound. It was a bedchamber. She looked around to make sure that there were no servants around. There weren't too many servants on guard in the interior bedchamber areas. She stopped at the door and pressed her ear against it. For a while she heard nothing more. Then she heard something moan groggily very softly. At eleven years old the little duchess was fearless. She pulled open the heavy door as quietly as she could.

Gingerly she made her way into the room. She hadn't thought about how dark it would be inside the chamber. In the halls torches were kept lit. Here there was only the moonlight streaming in through the windows. Slowly her eyes adjusted and she realized where she was. It was the very room in which she had awakened after Rose saved her. As she got closer to the bed she learned what had caused the thud. Rose was lying on the ground just by the bed on her stomach.

Olga rushed to her side forgetting for the moment about being quiet. She knelt to Rose's side.

"Strange Mademoiselle! What has happened? Are you able to hear me? Wake up!" she cried while trying to keep her voice down. She didn't know where that other woman was, the old one, but she didn't want to bring her out just yet. There was something menacing about her that Olga didn't like.

Rose looked at the little girl by her side and saw the concern on her face. The sound of her voice brought Rose out of her haze.

"Oh Your Majesty. I must have fallen out of bed. You must help me out of here. We must get to the King. Mistress Yaga, she must not escape," Rose mumbled. She tried to raise her voice, but her words still came out in a whisper. Somehow Olga was able to make it out.

"Yes, we will… that Yaga woman she will not escape," Olga said. She said it more to comfort Rose than anything. What had the Yaga woman done? Well if Rose wanted to see the King then Olga would make it happen.

"Strange Mademoiselle, I must leave you to get the King. It will be faster. But I don't know if I should leave you on the floor. Can we move you to that chair?"

Rose lifted her arm. It was difficult, she was very weak. She didn't know if her legs would work. She didn't want to risk making anymore noise. Mistress Yaga may hear.

"No, Little Duchess. I'll stay here, just go," she said. Olga took Rose's hand and squeezed it.

"I will be right back," Olga promised. Then she scurried away.

From the antechamber Mistress Yaga peered in at Rose through the slightly open door separating the two areas. She may not have heard everything, but she got the general idea. Rose found something out during her journey. Whatever it was couldn't bode well for Mistress Yaga. As soon as she was sure that the child was out of her way, Mistress Yaga opened the door. She walked to Rose's body. Her apprentice's eyes were closed and her breathing was heavy. But she felt Mistress Yaga's presence. She opened her eyes and gazed at Mistress Yaga.

"I wonder what you saw in the OtherWorld to make you look as if the end of days was upon us," Mistress Yaga mockingly mused.

"You… monster… never help… parents," she cried in a dehydrated and panicked voice. Every word was ripped from her throat. Her senses were overwhelmed. The strain of such heated speech almost made her faint.

"We'll just see what you will and won't do," Mistress Yaga said confidently. That was the same tone that Mistress Yaga had used on Rose when, as a child, she had thrown her one and only tantrum.

"King coming," Rose managed to get out.

"Yes I know," Mistress Yaga said casually. Obviously this did not scare her.

"That's why we're leaving. Now drink this," she commanded. She had pulled a tiny vial of yellow liquid from her dress pockets. She pushed the liquid against Rose's lips. Rose struggled to keep her mouth closed. Her head thrashed from side to side, but in the end Mistress Yaga won.

Mistress Yaga steadied Rose's head and pinched her nose closed. Finally Rose had to open her mouth for air. As soon as she opened her mouth, the liquid slid down the back of her throat. Birdsong filled her head.

She felt herself becoming smaller and lighter. Her very bones were changing. She was transforming into something. Then in an instant Rose the apprentice was gone. In her place was Rose the canary.

Mistress Yaga cupped the little bird in her hands. The bird's soft breathing was the only sign of life visible. Mistress Yaga went into her own room and produced a wooden birdcage from one of her bags. In went Rose the canary. Mistress Yaga put the cage on the table. She then turned her attention towards packing the rest of her possessions. She would have to leave everything that wasn't in the palace, a few of their things were still in that small room the pair stayed in upon arrival. But she had everything that she deemed necessary. She strapped everything to her back, including the birdcage, and stepped out onto the balcony. Then in the deep of night and the brilliance of the moonlight she transformed herself. Her outstretched arms lengthened and so did her fingers. Mistress Yaga's gray hair unfurled itself and tumbled over her shoulders. As it did the strands switched from hair to feathers. Everything about her changed and soon her shape was that of a massive owl. The one thing that stayed constant was her eyes. Her eyes were still the intimidating amber that they had always been.


	21. Chapter 21

Olga ran as fast as her legs could take her towards her mother's room. She would have gone directly to the king's chambers but she did not know where they were.

"Mama! Mama!" she yelled while pulling the door open.

"You must wake up! We must go to the king. Rose is in trouble!". Immediately rousing from her deep sleep, the Princess threw off her blankets. She knew that something must be very serious if Olga used the healing girl's real name instead of the nickname Olga had given her.

Quickly, she threw on her robe. All the time Olga was almost to the point of tears. Pain flushed through the Princess. Mothers always hurt when their children hurt.

"We will get your father first," the Princess said. But Olga shook her head vehemently.

"NO! There is no time! Have a servant call him. Please Mama, puh… please," Olga cried. So the Princess and Olga roused the guard at the chamber door.

"Take us to the King's chamber at once!" the Princess commanded, "then alert my husband and bring him to us,". Though he looked confused, he was wise enough not to question the Princess. Taking a torch from the wall, he led the two royals to King Wendell's chamber. He was explaining the situation to the guard posted outside of Wendell's chamber when Olga pushed past them both. She was banging on the door.

"King Wendell! King Wendell! Please awaken! Rose is in trouble! Rose is in trouble!" with every word Olga's voice cracked a little more.

The guards looked at each other in consternation. They were supposed to stop this sort of this thing, but the girl was 11. Finally Princess Laetitia stepped in. She gently pulled Olga from the door.

"Cherie, let the guards fetch him. We will wait here for your father," she said soothingly. The little girl stepped back and into her mother's arms. The guards shot a thankful look at the Princess before one of them rushed into Wendell's room.

It seemed like it took an eternity for Wendell to emerge from his room. Prince Adrien came rushing to his wife and daughter just a few minutes before the King emerged. The four royals made a strange sight. All of them were in their night robes, the disheveled look of sleep clinging to each of them.


	22. Chapter 22

Wendell awoke easily when the guard tapped on his chamber door. In another few minutes he would have been awake anyway. His dreams troubled him, though he could only remember bits of them. A flash of yellow here, himself staring at a giant chicken, trees, none of it coherent or worth remembering. But he knew that they must be more than that if they troubled him. The dreams, coupled with the nap he'd had earlier, made it difficult to stay asleep.

Wendell hurried to make himself presentable. Before leaving his room he stopped his guard.

"Bring Lord Lewis to me," he commanded. Just as the guard turned to carry out the command, Wendell grabbed him.

"Have somebody bring Thomas as well. Quickly," he said. Once both men had entered the hallway the guard bowed respectfully. He then whispered something to the other guard before running down the hall. The other guard mimicked the bow and then he ran in the opposite direction.

Wendell noticed that both the Prince and Princess were still in their nightclothes. He didn't notice what the Duchess was wearing however. All he could see was her sad little face. As soon as the guards were gone words spilled from her mouth with barely a pause for breath.

"You see I was walking through the palace, and then there was a sound. And then I went to the sound, and then there was a ugh," she said making a dramatic throaty groan. Wendell looked to Princess Laetitia briefly. She was staring at her daughter. Apparently she hadn't yet heard the story either. He turned his attention back to Olga. He was waiting to hear what the actual problem was.

"And so I went in, and oh Papa it was so dark," at this point she looked up at her father.

"But I wasn't even afraid," she added quickly, "Then I saw her on the floor by the bed," she finally finished. Her little hands were at her heart now as she breathed heavily. Now she had to make up for all the breathing she hadn't done while explaining. At the last bit of the story all of the adults shared an alarmed expression.

"Cherie, who was laying on the floor?" Princess Laetitia asked, though she already knew the answer.

"Mama!," the girl said stamping her foot, "Rose! It was poor Rose on the floor. She told me to get the king. She was so weak. She told me that the Yaga must not escape,".

There was a sort of collective gasp. The adults had to keep themselves from barraging the child with questions. The Prince was the first to speak. Kneeling down to his daughter he took her hand.

"Did she say why Mistress Yaga must not escape?" he asked in a calming tone.

"No Papa. She could barely even speak," Olga answered. As the Prince was rising, Olga pulled on his robe.

"Papa we must hurry," Olga said in nearly a whisper. The Prince and Princess both looked angry. This was the voice that Olga used whenever she was really scared. The girl was rarely scared of anything. She was often demanding or angry or just plain loud, but rarely scared.

"I have brought my baby to a place where she is scared all of the time," Princess Laetitia thought as she remembered the reason for Mistress Yaga's coming in the first place.

Wendell sensed the change in mood. He was less worried about the disgruntled dignitaries than he was about Rose. Hearing here situation made him want to leave behind his guests to find her. He felt like Olga, wanting to stamp his foot. Thankfully Tony showed up. In a very un-Tony like manner, he made a bow to the Olga and her family. Finally he looked to Wendell.

"You called?" he asked without his usual sarcasm. He spoke as though he were in a business meeting. Still he didn't talk to Wendell as his boss, which was of great comfort to the king. Wendell explained the situation as concisely as possible. All of this talking felt like wasting time to him. Tony could see this.

"Are we waiting for something in particular before we go?" he asked.

"No. Now that we all know the story, we are going," Wendell said. He turned to the guard who had brought Tony. When he saw him, he remembered his other command. Thomas was coming. Before he had just wanted Thomas for messages and the like, but now he had questions for Thomas. After all it had been Thomas who recommended Mistress Yaga in the first place.

"Soon another guard will arrive with Thomas. I want Thomas brought to me, wherever I am. Presently I am going to the Blue Chamber," Wendell said. He almost said "Rose's room" but that would have been confusing to the guard.

Soon they were all at Rose's room. Wendell rushed into the room. He didn't knock, didn't wait. But when he got into the main room, nobody was there. Olga rushed passed Wendell and to the side of the bed.

"She was here! Where is she? What has happened to her?" Olga screamed. She turned to look at each of the adults as she asked her questions. Tony began pacing around the room while the royals were conferencing.

"Perhaps Thomas will know where she has gone," Wendell thought. The Prince and Princess were trying, to no avail, to soothe Olga. Wendell had a feeling that the only reason that they were here, was to comfort their daughter. He was here, however, to….er punish Mistress Yaga. Yes, an accusation had been made and he had to investigate.

"Everybody, come out here and look at this," Tony said, he was still lacking in court etiquette. He stood outside on the balcony holding something up.

"Oooh it is pretty," Olga said approaching Tony.

"Yes, very pretty," her mother said suspiciously. Tony gave the object to Wendell. It was a feather. A silver feather. It shone in the moonlight like a piece of fine jewelry. As Wendell was holding the feather up to the light, the guard walked in escorting Thomas. When he saw the feather, the look of confusion was wiped off of his face.

"From the look on your face Thomas, I'd be willing to say that you know something about this," Wendell said. Thomas bowed.

"Yes Your Highness. Mistress Yaga is gone," he answered.

"We must leave at once if we are to find her," he advised, "I will explain on the way,". Thomas was the consummate servant. He knew what to do before it needed to be done.

"Majesty, you may be wondering how I came to know Mistress Yaga," Thomas said as they headed towards the main chamber.

"The thought had crossed our minds yeah," came the response from Tony.

"Long ago I had a family. I had a wife and a son. This was before I became a steward here in the palace," he began, "My son was not yet four years old when my wife died from a horrible illness. I was devastated, but could take comfort in my son,". The old man's eyes became misty as he recounted his story.

"Then a few weeks later my son caught the same illness that had taken his mother. I knew that he would die if something was not done. I was told by a neighbor about Mistress Yaga. I'm sure that she did not know about Yaga's true nature. Mistress Yaga, she told me, had kept her cousin from dying in childbirth," he said. The further he got into the story, the more fatigued Thomas became.

"I sought out Mistress Yaga and pleaded for her help. I stopped going to work when my son became sick. I owned my house, but I was barely able feed my son and myself. I would have given anything I had to Mistress Yaga. Unfortunately that was not enough. I tore my hair and gnashed my teeth. I will do anything, I told her. I have a friend in the palace, I begged, he is getting me a place there. I will be able to pay very soon. When I said that she smiled," he said the last part quietly.

" 'I will save your son' she said. 'But I do not want your money. I want a promise. When you are situated in the palace I want your loyalty. You will always be alert for opportunities. You will build up my name with the nobility. I will keep you informed as to any new services I provide so that you can inform those in high places.' she told me. She made me swear a binding blood oath. If I ever broke it, my son would succumb to his sickness no matter how old he was," he continued.

"Where is your son now Thomas?" Wendell asked. Thomas' face lost emotion.

"He died," he replied flatly. Everybody wanted to know how the boy die, but they could not bring themselves to ask. They didn't have to.

"I killed him. After a time I grew confident. I forgot my loyalty to Mistress Yaga. A Council Member became sick. I did not recommend Mistress Yaga, instead another doctor was called. When I returned to my home…," he paused, "Albert was dead,". It seemed that Thomas had forgotten his audience.

"Albert haunts me every night. Mistress Yaga will relieve my dreams if I resume my loyalty to her. So that is why I brought her here," he finished.


	23. Chapter 23

The heavens rumbled as Wendell, Tony and Thomas mounted their horses. All three men turned their faces to the sky. Thomas had suggested carriages, but Wendell knew that horses would be faster. They might have to go over rough terrain.

"Ah yes, a storm. What appropriate weather in which to pursue a witch," Wendell said darkly. He was anxious to find Rose and a storm was only going to slow things down.

"C'mon Prince this will be our second time going up against a witch," Tony said as he slapped Wendell on the back, "Don't you remember how well that turned out?"

Despite himself, Wendell smiled. He really was glad to have Anthony around.

"Anthony you are absolutely right. We will leave at once," Wendell said resolutely. He was about to spur his horse when Thomas stopped him.

"Majesty, the grooms have yet to bring out all of the supplies," he objected.

"Have we food and flint?" Wendell asked. As soon as Thomas replied that they did, Wendell was off.

"We better hurry Tommy boy. He has a tendency to get in trouble without me," Tony said to the older man who sighed. He hated it when Lord Lewis called him Tommy boy.

"Prince! Priiiiinnncee!," Tony yelled, "Slow down! Wait!". He was no equestrian, but he knew that running a horse that fast couldn't be good for the poor thing. Tony yelled at Wendell until his throat was raw. Finally the young king stopped.

"Anthony what is it?" Wendell asked shortly. Starting and stopping made him, and his horse, chomp at the bit.

"You're gonna kill your horse," Anthony said pointing to the snorting animal. Wendell glanced down at his mount. Anthony was right. He certainly didn't want to cripple his horse, he was a very good horse. The young king sighed reluctantly. To be fair, he didn't even know where he was going.

"Thomas you worked for Mistress Yaga, which way are going?" Wendell asked as Thomas rode up beside them.

"Majesty, I was never informed as to where Mistress Yaga lived," Thomas said resignedly, "But I do know that she operated out of a cottage on the outskirts of a rural village,".

"That means we only have to search ooohhh two thousand villages in every direction," Tony said in his most sarcastic manner.

"Not necessarily Lord Lewis," Thomas countered, "It only ever took Mistress Yaga half of a day to arrive in the city when I called,". Wendell perked up. This was good, this was information that he could use.

"If we only knew which gate she entered the city through," he thought out loud.

"If His Grace is willing to go back into the city, I know an inn where Mistress Yaga often stays during her visits," Thomas said.

"_**Now**_ he tells us," Tony said. Thomas shot him an annoyed look.

"I was hardly given a chance to," Thomas said sharply. Apparently sitting on a horse in the middle of the night during a storm, which made his arthritis act up, **and** being accused of treachery put him a little on edge.

Wendell sighed impatiently. He pinched the bridge of his nose to relieve the tension headache that was on its way. He didn't want to turn around but he knew he had no other choice.

"We will go," he said, "immediately,". The three men turned and went back to the city, Wendell leading the way. After what seemed like an eternity they reached the inn. Thomas stepped forward and knocked. Out of the building came a soft middle aged man with a surprisingly thick head of black hair. He was in robe and slippers and did not look at all pleased to be awoken at this hour.


	24. Chapter 24

Cyrus Whittle staggered to his front door while he fumbled to tie his dressing gown. He stumbled on a chair that after 40 years of running this inn he still couldn't seem to remember was there. By the time he reached the door he was in a bad mood.

"Who is it?" he said civilly. Even if he was stewing on the inside, he didn't want to risk offending any customers.

"Innkeeper Whittle so nice to see you once again," a perfectly groomed voice said. It took Cyrus a second to realize who it was.

"Master Thomas? What brings you here at this late…or rather early hour? And in this blasted bad weather too," he exclaimed. He could hardly believe it. The normally impeccably dressed palace steward was dripping from head to toe. Behind him were two other men, one much younger and one middle aged. All of them looked wet and miserable.

"Master Innkeeper," the young man said stepping forward, "we need to know as much about Mistress Yaga as you know,". Cyrus was taken aback at the sense of authority in this youth's voice. Moving the candle closer to his visitors, he could see their features more clearly.

"Well blast me down!," Cyrus couldn't help but blurt out. It was King Wendell, honest to goodness, the man on the money, King Wendell.

"Er, begging your pardon Your Highness," Cyrus amended and attempted a courtly bow. It sure did a number on his back though. King Wendell waved his hand graciously in acknowledgment.

"Master Innkeeper, do you have any information on Mistress Yaga?," the king asked again. His question took Cyrus aback.

"The healing woman from the country?" Cyrus asked incredulously. Though he had never gotten to know her, Mistress Yaga never seemed like the type to bring trouble. The king nodded in answer to Cyrus' question.

"Well… she's a real nice woman, never caused any trouble. Usually only stays a few days. Pays her tab regular too," he added. The men looked disappointed.

"Is that all you know about her?" the middle aged man near the king asked.

"Those are the first things that an innkeeper notices. But ehm, some other things…," Cyrus muttered. He made a ticking noise while he thought about it.

"Always the same horse… sometimes she goes with the cook to the market in the mornings. The cook actually could tell you more," Cyrus said. Before the men could order him too, the harried innkeeper was on his way to the cook's quarters. He turned back to the door quickly,

"Follow me if you please," he said. He scuttled down the hallways with the three men hot on his heels. They passed the kitchen and hit a doorway. Cyrus rapped a few times on the door. After a few moments a woman came to the door. She was of average height and more than average weight. Her brown hair was down in a long braid and she looked dazed with sleep. She had lines on her face, but it seemed that they were all from laughing. Wendell could just imagine her singing while baking fruit pies.

"Cyrus just what is it? You know that after hours I am strictly unavailable," she said crossing her arms.

"We have some important guests Vera," Cyrus said with a nervous chuckle.

"This is King Wendell, Lord Anthony and the Palace Steward Thomas. They are looking for information on Mistress Yaga. I know you're well acquainted with her,".

Vera inhaled sharply and dipped into a curtsy. Her mind stalled at the sight of such important men. Then in an instant her mind started racing to collect all of the information she had on Mistress Yaga.

"Aye, I know Mistress Yaga. She and I go to the market together sometimes. She's able to get good prices and make a little extra money every time we go," she said.

"Make money when you go shopping?" Tony said skeptically, "That's a trick I'd like to learn. Ya know for when I get my Rolex,". He jabbed his elbow into Thomas' ribs for emphasis. Anthony was impressed at how dignified Thomas could look even when being poked in the side.

"Oh well she sells 'erbs. She 'as some of the best 'erbs in… well probably the 'ole kingdom. She's also one of the closest sources for cranford root. It's great for the complexion, gets rid o' scars and blemishes, wipes the skin clean like a slate. So wealthy ladies and merchants alike will pay top dollar for it,".

"Do you know where she lives?" Wendell asked a bit impatiently. He didn't care about complexions, after all his was rather good. So was Rose's. Vera caught Wendell's tone.

"Not really. But I do know that cranford root has to grow in the woods, like mushrooms. The darker the better. And they like trees with lots o' birds," she offered. At that point Cyrus piped up.

"The darkest forest for two hundred miles is the Eastern Night Woods. Its where nearly a hundred murders of crows go to roost at night. And there is a village some miles from there," he said proudly. He knew that this was a choice piece of information, especially when he saw the King perk up.

"Now we go," Wendell said sternly as he made his way out of the inn. Thomas followed quickly. Only Tony stayed behind.

"Thanks a lot. You two have been really helpful. Hey, I bet you get invited to the wedding!" he waved to the innkeeper and the cook.


	25. Chapter 25

_Before I go any further with my story I would like to thank the following members: FoxDemonTaki, shippolove844, Ceville, mizar and alcor, Dracaspina, Shu (), helloXlove, LittleWoodstock, Valinor's Twilight, Lunette (), and XiceXcoldXempathyX. You guys have been great with reviews and have kept me going. Also I am not making any money from this. _

"Must get out! Must get out!" Canary Rose thought as she flitted frantically around her cage. Her thoughts became more scattered every time she hit the wooden bars. Her human rationality clashed with the panic of her new bird's instincts. Finally her human mind won out. She calmed down and landed on the cage's perch.

"How am I going to get out of here? More importantly how am I going to become human again? She can't mean to keep me like this. My parents said that she wants to use my powers. That **must** mean that she'll turn me back," she thought as her mind raced. The room she was in looked just like the kitchen at home, er the cottage that she thought was home. She could no longer think of that place as home.

"Huh," she snorted bitterly and thought, "now I'm an orphan **and** homeless,". She quickly pulled herself out of that trap. She had no time to pity herself now. It was only when Mistress Yaga strode into the room that Rose realized she had been alone the whole time. The gargantuan form of Mistress Yaga approached Canary Rose's cage.

"How are we going to fix this Rose?" Mistress Yaga sighed sarcastically to the cage.

"You must be wondering if I'll change you back," she said, "Well I'm still weighing the options on that. If I don't then I can't use your gift, but I can't be assured that you will cooperate with me if I do,". Rose was surprised at Mistress Yaga's rant. It was unusual for her to talk so much, let alone explain so much. Rose also found herself surprised at being surprised at anything this evening.

"Can you feel what I feel?" Mistress Yaga asked Canary Rose what was obviously a hypothetical question. Mistress Yaga was taunting Rose. Her usual aloof orders were now cruel jests.

"Look at you. You have so much power, and are completely ignorant as to how to use it. You'd die without me you know," Mistress Yaga said matter of factly.

"Of course you don't know. I had to kill your parents. Your gift is deadly, it can be fatal for you. The emotions of others overload your system. If not properly controlled it can lead to psychosis, possibly death. You would also probably kill your own parents at some point," Mistress Yaga continued as she began to move about the room. She was gathering up herbs for some concoction.

"At least that's what happened to the last girl," she said a little more softly.

"Surprised?" Mistress Yaga asked as she turned to Canary Rose's cage. Rose wasn't sure that emotion showed on a bird's face but Mistress Yaga always did know her every thought.

"You're not a unicorn you know," Mistress Yaga grunted, "There are others like you. Not many others I'll grant you. But every generation creates new seers and empaths,". Mistress Yaga threw her now gathered ingredients into her stewpot. (Everybody who came for cures expected her to have a big bubbling cauldron. A stewpot worked just as well and was much cheaper to replace and easier to clean.)

"This will take a while," Mistress Yaga said referring to the potion. An uncharacteristic look of weariness flitted over her face for just barely a second. She sat in her stool by the oven and sighed.

"I'll tell you a story Rose. Maybe by the end of it you'll be a little wiser. Maybe not. Yes I killed your parents, but just like everything else in life, I did it for a reason. I don't know what they said to you in the spirit world but I'm sure its not the complete truth. How could it be? They don't know the history of people like you, what would have ended up being **your **history," she accused pointing her calloused index finger at Canary Rose.

"Empaths have a hard lot in life. Women empaths have it the worst. I've spent a good deal of time trying to find out why but I still haven't. You all attract people, like flies to a spider web, they come buzzing to you. At first it's a good thing. You're happy and popular. But as you come into your gift and the emotions of others worm their way into your mind, it begins to drive you insane. You'll lose most of the people you love either because they can't stand you or you can't stand their emotions. If they don't abandon you then the intensity of so much emotion drives you insane. You become dangerous to yourself and to society," Mistress Yaga explained.

"How do I know this?," she asked for Rose, "Well a good twenty years before you were born I found another empath like you. A girl. Her parents were delighted to have a special child, that was unlucky otherwise I could have taken her and saved everyone a lot of trouble. So I followed their wishes and tried to be a long distance mentor. She would come to me four times a week for a few hours. She lived in a village with her parents though," Mistress Yaga said. At this point she paused to stir the stewpot and take out a bundle of herbs that had given their all and added a marrow bone.

"I suppose she had a happy childhood," she began again, "but at thirteen her gift manifested itself. It starts earlier for girls than for boys. She was moody. Manic even. Her mother didn't worry too much for the first two years. 'She just hasn't adjusted to her cycles yet,' she would say whenever I would comment on it. I suppose that could be a reason for woman to have more aggressive empathy symptoms. But by the time the girl was sixteen, we could all see that she was coming undone. She would yell out strange things sporadically. She got bald spots because she would pull at her hair all day. One day at around noon her father came running to my home. He was panicked," here she paused in reflection.

"His voice was hoarse from screaming. 'She's been possessed! She's been possessed! Please come and help,' he begged me. We rushed back to the village. The sight that was put before me there frightened me horribly. My little empath was curled up in a ball in a corner of the cabin. She had gouges and cuts all over her face, neck and arms. The bald spots on her head were bigger and bled till blood dripped down past her forehead. Her mother told me, in between sobs, that the girl had been tearing at her own skin and hair. She seemed to relish the physical pain. She was wailing like some mad spirit. Oh it was a haunting sight,".

"I found out that she had been rejected by a boy in the village. He was in love with another girl. When she spoke to him, she could feel his pity for her as well as his love for the other girl. Her own love for him was extremely strong. A side effect of empathy is very concentrated emotion. I took her with me to my cabin. I told her parents that she could not be returned. Upon hearing that, the girl flew into a rage. She screamed like a panther at the thought of being exiled. We fought with her until we were exhausted. I suppose that she felt all of our concern for her and so submitted. And though she was the only empath there, we could all feel the sadness radiating off of her. She was like a corpse on the way back to my cabin. The secluded location of my cabin seemed to calm her down. Now instead of dying because of the sentiments of others, she seemed to be drowning in her own emotions. I worked for weeks trying to come up with a way to strip her of her power. I eventually did find a way, but not in time," the ancient witch finished.

Rose sat on her perch. Mistress Yaga's story had her spellbound. She had practically forgotten that being a canary was a problem for her. While Mistress Yaga spoke the tragedy of her former empath, Rose could think only of that poor girl. She could feel the pain and confusion echoing off Mistress Yaga's story.

"Ah, looks like its time to take this off the heat," Mistress Yaga said as she pulled the bubbling pot off of the fire. Rose watched her set it on the cold fireplace stones.

"You can calm down, I'm going to turn you back as soon as this cools," Mistress Yaga told Rose with a wry smile. Rose fell off of her perch as the house lurched forward. Mistress Yaga's potion sloshed in the pot.

"We must be getting very deep into the old forest.," Mistress Yaga muttered to herself, "Soon we'll be out of this kingdom and able to start over,".


	26. Chapter 26

Wendell watched over every hilltop for a new sight. They had been riding for an hour solid since they left the inn. Rain was falling hard now, and it slowed the trio up quite a bit. The young king just knew he could accomplish this so much more quickly if his companions were a bit more… spry. Still he could not doubt their intelligence. For some reason, on this particular endeavor, everything was just more frustrating. It put Wendell in a mood that he just could not bear. Finally he saw a gloomy looking expanse of trees ahead of them.

"That must be it," he thought to himself. It was bright morning and still the forest was dark as midnight.

"It certainly is well named," Thomas said dryly as he cantered up next to Wendell.

"What I wouldn't give for a Maglite," Tony said in what could have been a whistle.

"So do we just go storming in 'crazy white knight style' or do take two extra seconds to formulate a plan 'sensible grown up ruler of a country style'?" Tony asked with a pointed look at Wendell. Wendell was about to give him a good set down, but thought the better of it. If he was being honest, and after all it was only to himself, he hadn't really had a plan past getting here. Besides, he would never want Anthony to be one of the simpering courtiers who were so common at home. So he just nodded.

"How does one track a witch through an incredibly expansive dark forest?" Wendell wondered aloud.

"Perhaps with the aid of another witch," said Thomas after a pause.

"How many witches do you know?" Anthony said somewhat suspiciously. Thomas stood a little straighter and, if possible, looked even more dignified.

Wendell's own thoughts echoed Anthony's sentiments, but he didn't express them. He was willing to explore any possibility.

"Thomas, do you mean to say that you know another witch, one who is trustworthy, and would be willing to help us with our problem?" Wendell asked.

"Trustworthy being the operative word here," Anthony mumbled.

"Your Highness, I believe in witches. I am profoundly sorry that I could not see through Mistress Yaga, but still I believe that not all witches are bad, just as not all people are bad. So yes I know many witches. Yes I know many trustworthy witches," Thomas said evenly.

Wendell considered his choices. It was true that he could probably find Mistress Yaga without magical aid. It was also true that forgoing that aid would cost him time.

"These witches wouldn't happen to live nearby would they?" Wendell asked.

"It doesn't really signify as to where they live, Your Majesty," Thomas said in as close to a murmur as Wendell had ever heard from him.

"Why is that? Do you have some witch whistle that brings them flying?" Anthony asked. It was clear that he wanted their involvement with witches to be as limited as possible. Thomas wore a look of long suffering annoyance when he answered.

"There is one witch who has given me a way to get in touch with her quickly should I ever need to. I will contact her directly and Your Majesty can decide whether or not to go further with her help,"

"Just how do you contact her?" Wendell asked.

Thomas took this question as permission and began building a fire. Then out of his coat pocket he took a small hand mirror and a tiny bag. When the fire was burning hot, he placed the mirror in the middle so that the reflective surface was facing the sky. All three men watched as the small silver mirror began to glow with the heat of the fire. Then when the mirror turned from red hot to blue hot, Thomas took a handful of sand out of the bag and sprinkled on the mirror's reflective surface.

"Stand back," was all Thomas said. A blue smoke engulfed the fire and in it, there looked to be a face. As the smoke became more of a solid veil, the face became more apparent. It was the face of an older woman. She was still beautiful with long dark hair and olive skin. Her eyes were gray and almond shaped framed with dark lashes. There were no lines on her face to indicate age, but rather she possessed an air of dignity that only comes with age.

"Ahhh, Thomas, it's so good to hear from you. You never come to see me anymore," the woman said in faux scolding manner.

Wendell's eyes nearly burst out of his skull when he saw Thomas blush! Surely Thomas was not this woman's er…paramour?

"It used to be so often. It seemed like every week you'd need to see me. Sometimes twice a week. But you were younger then, I suppose you just couldn't keep up that pace forever," she sighed. Wendell wasn't sure if he was taking all of this in correctly but Thomas' face turned a brighter shade of red with each word.

"My Lady Mohana, allow me to apologize for my long absence from your company," Thomas said quickly, "but I have called on you today in need of assistance. Allow me to introduce my companions," Mohana looked bored but played along. Wendell got the impression of a cat humoring a mouse.

"This is His Royal Highness King Wendell," Thomas announced ceremoniously. Wendell stepped in front of the smoke veil and allowed the witch to see him. He made a small bow of the head, after all he did want her help, and stepped aside. He heard a cough from Anthony and a sigh from Thomas.

"And this is Lord Anthony," he said in a rather anticlimactic way. Anthony slid in front of the smoke.

"So pleased to meet you, Lady Mohana," he said flashing a smile. He had apparently forgotten his distrust of witches. Thomas was quick to push him out of the way.

"Well Thomas you certainly do travel with an interesting party. What is it you three dashing heroes are in search of? It must be important if the king himself is on the quest," she mused.

It was at this point that Thomas wavered.

"We do indeed seek something important. We seek justice. We need a way to track Mistress Yaga through the Eastern Night Woods," Thomas said. At the mention of Mistress Yaga, Lady Mohana no longer looked bored. Her eyes narrowed and she leaned in.

"Tell me everything and if I feel your cause is just I will help you. She is a powerful witch. She may be more than a witch by now. It would put my life in danger should I help you and you fail. So I need to know why you are going after her," Lady Mohana said firmly. Wendell nodded to Thomas, and Thomas began a full recounting.

After hearing the story, Lady Mohana sat back in her chair. She was silent for a moment.

"So far, all you have said is that Mistress Yaga has left with her apprentice without actually receiving payment. Why do you care?" Lady Mohana asked sincerely. It was here Wendell spoke up.

"There is some evidence that Mistress Yaga may have committed a crime. I care because I am the king," Wendell said.

"Then why do you not send knights on this quest? What is so important about Mistress Yaga's flight that the king himself must take this task on? You have already given me one false answer, I will not suffer another," the beautiful witch said.

Wendell didn't know what to say. What was this woman looking for? Was there a riddle that he had missed? Why was **he** going after Rose instead of his knights?

"I am going after Rose, because I only trust myself to bring her back safely," Wendell answered.

Lady Mohana nodded at his answer. She looked pleased.

"I will help you. I trust one of you has a compass," Wendell offered his to the smoky image, "Very good, throw it in the fire. Then after the fire goes out, on its own mind you do not put it out, King Wendell you must mix a handful of the ashes with three drops of your own blood. Then rub this paste on your sword. The compass will lead you to your heart's desire. The sword anointed with the ashes of an enchanted fire and the blood of a true heart will then be able to pierce your enemy's flesh," she finished. With the end of her sentence the veil vanished and Lady Mohana was gone.

Wendell did as he was told and tossed his compass into the flames. It flashed with heat for a moment and then went cold. The fire went out in a spark just after the compass cooled down. Wendell then proceeded to make a paste of ashes and blood for his sword. After he rubbed it down, he felt it…quiver? Yes quiver was the correct word. It became almost alive in his hands. Now he felt ready. Now he could save her.


End file.
